Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Sammie Coates has a long way to go until he’s considered one of the league’s top players at his position but this week in practice he got to pretend like he’s one.
According to Pennlive.com, Coates emulated Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green on the Steelers scout team this week in practice. He even wore Green’s No. 18 on his practice jersey this week instead of his usual No. 14.
“I’ve been 18 all week,” Coates said, according to Jacob Klinger. “It’s cool, it’s fine. I got to make some plays catch the ball. Getting work.”
While Coates is roughly two inches shorter than Green, he does have similar speed, according to the two player’s combine numbers.
Green enters Week 8 having already registered 35 catches for 531 yards and three touchdowns. In the two games that he played against the Steelers last season, the Bengals former first-round draft pick caught a total of 19 passes for 306 yards and a touchdown. Three of those catches went for 20 yards or more with his long being 81.
“He’s a wideout, he makes plays,” Coates said. That’s all there is to it. They ask you to take that role you got to be able to showcase the plays he makes.”
As for the plays that Coates has made this season, he has just one catch for 11 yards so far during his rookie campaign and that came in the Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens after starter Markus Wheaton left the game with an ankle injury.
While there’s a good chance that Coates will get a helmet on Sunday against the Bengals it’s doubtful that he’ll see much, if any, playing time on offense.
