While it’s not a huge deal, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Richard Mann reportedly hasn’t been on the practice field at all during the team’s OTA sessions after undergoing “minor procedure” this offseason.
According to Chris Bradford of the Beaver County Times, Mann, who has been with the Steelers since 2013, is currently doing fine and expects to be on field for the teams upcoming mandatory minicamp practices.
Mann has really done a solid job since arriving in Pittsburgh and it will be interesting to see how his coaching will pay off this upcoming season when it comes to second-year wide receiver Sammie Coates, who was drafted last year in the third round out of Auburn. While Coates didn’t see a lot of playing time during his rookie season, he did have a few catches for big yardage in last year’s playoff loss to the Denver Broncos. With Martavis Bryant now suspended for the entire season, Coates will be expected to help partially replace that lost production in 2016.
This year during training camp, Mann will also look to further develop young wide receivers Eli Rogers, Shakim Phillips, Demarcus Ayers, and Canaan Severin as one of those four is likely to make the final 53-man roster out of training camp as the team’s No. 5 receiver on the depth chart. As second-year players Rogers and Phillips should already know what Mann expects whereas Ayers and Severin are both rookies
Mann, 68, is entering his 31st season as an assistant coach in the NFL.
