Sammie Coates
refer to caption
Coates with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016
Personal information
Born: (1993-03-31) March 31, 1993
Leroy, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Leroy (AL)
College:Auburn (2011–2014)
Position:Wide receiver
NFL Draft:2015 / Round: 3 / Pick: 87
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
CFL status:American
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:29
Receiving yards:528
Receiving touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

Sammie Coates Jr. (born March 31, 1993) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn, where he played in the 2013 SEC Championship Game and 2014 BCS National Championship Game, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played in the XFL for the Houston Roughnecks in their 2020 season.

High school career

Coates attended Leroy High School in Leroy, Alabama, where he played high school football. As a senior, he had 57 receptions for 1,170 yards and 14 touchdowns. Coates originally committed to play college football at the University of Southern Mississippi in March 2010, but changed his commitment to Auburn University in July.[1][2]

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Coates was listed as the No. 71 wide receiver in the nation in 2011.[3]

College career

True freshman season

In 2011, Coates missed his entire freshman season at Auburn in 2011 due to a foot injury.[4]

Redshirt freshman season

After missing his entire first season at Auburn, Coates was part of the wide receiver rotation in 2012. He played his first game against Clemson and caught his first career touchdown, a 33-yard Hail Mary from quarterback Kiehl Frazier, against Louisiana-Monroe.[5] As a redshirt freshman, he had six receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns.[6]

Sophomore season

As a sophomore in 2013, Coates started 12 games and had 42 receptions for 902 yards with seven touchdowns.[7] He was a big play threat, having 14 catches for 30+ yards. Against SEC West rival Arkansas, he had 102 receiving yards, marking his third consecutive 100+ yard game.[8] In the 2014 BCS National Championship Game loss against Florida State, he had four receptions for 61 yards.[9]

Junior season

As a junior in 2014, Coates had 34 receptions for 741 yards and four touchdowns.[10] He finished his career at Auburn ranking 10th in the school's career receiving yards (1,757 yards), 13 career touchdown receptions, and seven career games with over 100 yards receiving. In the Iron Bowl against Alabama he set a school record with 206 receiving yards, five catches, and two touchdowns.[11] In addition, he recorded four receptions in the Outback Bowl and was invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine.[12] Coates was voted second-team All-SEC by the coaches, The Associated Press, and Phil Steele.

In December 2014, Coates decided to forego his senior season and declared for the 2015 NFL Draft[13] and also graduated from Auburn University with a diploma in Public Administration.

Professional career

Coates at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2015

On December 12, 2014, Coates announced he accepted his invitation to the 2014 Senior Bowl.[14] Prior to the Senior Bowl, NFL analyst Mel Kiper projected him to possibly be a first round pick. The majority of NFL draft experts and scouts projected Coates to be a late first or second round pick. NFL scouts at the Senior Bowl said they loved Coates' sudden cuts, superior speed and big, well-developed frame, and his potential makes him a possible future No. 1 wide receiver. Coates met with team representatives from the Baltimore Ravens after he had an impressive week of practice where he made multiple highlight reel catches.[15][16] On January 25, 2014, Coates recorded one reception for 13-yards in the Senior Bowl, but had to leave the game after suffering a groin injury. Under Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach Gus Bradley, Coates helped the South defeat the North 20–10.[17] He received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. His 23 reps in the bench press finished first among wide receivers. On March 3, 2014, Coates opted to participate at Auburn's pro day along with Greg Robinson, Dee Ford, Chris Davis, Tre Mason, Cody Parkey, Jay Prosch, Quan Bray, and nine other teammates.[18] He chose to only run positional drills for the scouts and team representatives in attendance. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Coates was projected to be a second or third round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 11th best wide receiver in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and NFL media analysis Charles Davis.[19][20]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench pressWonderlic
6 ft 1+3⁄8 in
(1.86 m)		 212 lb
(96 kg)		 33+3⁄8 in
(0.85 m)		 9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		4.43 s1.55 s2.59 s4.06 s6.98 s41 in
(1.04 m)		10 ft 11 in
(3.33 m)		23 reps14
All values from NFL Combine[21]

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Coates in the third round with the 87th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was the 13th wide receiver selected in 2015.[22]

2015

On May 15, 2015, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Coates to a four-year, $2.91 million contract with a signing bonus of $631,515.[23]

He competed with Markus Wheaton and Darrius Heyward-Bey throughout training camp to be the second starting wide receiver for the season, as Martavis Bryant was serving a four-game suspension to begin the season. Head coach Mike Tomlin named Coates the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart to start the season, behind Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, and Darrius Heyward-Bey.[24]

On September 27, 2015, Coates made his professional regular season debut in a 12–6 victory over the St. Louis Rams after he was inactive for the first two games. On October 1, 2015, Coates made his first career catch on an 11-yard pass from Michael Vick during a 20–23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. This was his only reception of his rookie season as he appeared minimally on special teams. Martavis Bryant returned the following week, pushing Coates to the fifth receiver on the depth chart. He appeared in six games in 2015.[25] The Pittsburgh Steelers received a playoff berth after finishing second in the AFC North with a 10–6 record.[26]

On January 17, 2016, he appeared in the first playoff game of his career after Antonio Brown was unable to play after suffering a concussion the previous game on a hit from Vontaze Burfict.[27] Coates made two receptions for 61 yards in the Steelers' 16–23 loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.[28]

2016

Coates competed with Wheaton and Heyward-Bey for the starting wide receiver job after Martavis Bryant was suspended for the entire 2016 season. He was named the third wide receiver on the depth chart behind Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton.[29]

On September 12, 2016, he received his first career start against the Washington Redskins and finished the season-opener with two receptions for 56 yards in the Steelers' 38–16 victory.[30] The following week, he earned two receptions for 97 yards and had the first rushing attempt of his career for a six-yard gain, as the Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 24–16.[31] On October 9, 2016, Coates caught a 72-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger, marking his first career touchdown in a 31–13 win over the New York Jets. Although he suffered an injury to his hand during the game, he managed to finish with a career-high six receptions for 139 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.[32] It was reported that he suffered a broken index finger and required stitches during the game against the Jets but was still activated for the following week against the Miami Dolphins.[33] The injury limited him to two receptions for 14 receiving yards in the next nine games. He was deactivated for the last two games of the season (Weeks 16–17). He finished the season with 21 receptions for 235 receiving yards and two touchdowns in five starts and 14 games.[34]

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished first in the AFC North with an 11–5 record in 2016.[35] On January 22, 2017, in the AFC Championship, Coates made two receptions for 34 yards in a 17–36 loss to the eventual Super Bowl LI Champion New England Patriots.[36]

2017

On February 13, 2017, Coates underwent sports hernia surgery.[37]

Coates competed with Martavis Bryant and rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster for the vacant starting wide receiver position left by the departure of Markus Wheaton. Unfortunately, he missed half of training camp due a knee injury, that required knee arthroscopy and would require a recovery time.[38]

Cleveland Browns

On September 2, 2017, the Steelers traded Coates and a 2019 seventh-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for a 2018 sixth-round pick.[39] Coates became expendable after the Pittsburgh Steelers had acquired major depth at their wide receiver position with Martavis Bryant's return from suspension, JuJu Smith-Schuster's selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, and the emergence of Eli Rogers in Coates absence the season prior. The Pittsburgh Steelers opted to go with veterans Darrius Heyward-Bey and Justin Hunter for their last two receiver spots.[40]

Head coach Hue Jackson named Coates the fourth wide receiver behind Kenny Britt, Corey Coleman, and Rashard Higgins to start the 2017 season.[41]

He made his Cleveland Browns' debut in their 21–18 season-opening loss to his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.[42] On October 15, 2017, he caught a 14-yard pass from Kevin Hogan to mark his first reception as a member of the Cleveland Browns. They went on to lose 33–16 to the Houston Texans.[43]

On March 15, 2018, Coates was released by the Browns.[44]

Houston Texans

On March 16, 2018, Coates was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans.[45] He played in 12 games, recording just one catch for 12 yards before being released on December 18, 2018.[46]

Kansas City Chiefs

On February 22, 2019, Coates was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs.[47] He was released on May 10, 2019.[48]

Houston Roughnecks

Coates was drafted in the third round of the 2020 XFL Draft by the Houston Roughnecks.[49] In four games played, Coates was targeted 19 times, but only caught six of those passes for 61 yards.[50] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[51]

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Coates signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League on December 21, 2020.[52] He was placed on the suspended list on July 3, 2021.[53]

Edmonton Elks

Coates joined the Edmonton Elks in free agency on February 15, 2023.[54] He was released by the Elks after their final preseason game, along with 17 other players as the team trimmed down its roster ahead of the season.[55]

Personal life

Coates was raised in Leroy, Alabama to Sharon and Sammie Coates Sr. In November 2003, his father was killed in a car crash while driving to work at one of his two jobs.[56][57]

After being drafted by the Steelers on May 1, 2015, Coates became engaged to his girlfriend Kailey Rogers.[58]

References

  1. ↑ "Leroy all-state receiver Sammie Coates commits to Southern Miss". Gulf Live. March 5, 2010. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  2. ↑ Woodbery, Evan (July 18, 2010). "Leroy WR Sammie Coates switches commitment from Southern Miss to Auburn". AL.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Sammie Coates, 2011 Wide Receiver". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Auburn football notes: Sammie Coates to have foot surgery". Ledger-Enquirer. August 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn Box Score, September 15, 2012". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Sammie Coates 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Sammie Coates 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Auburn at Arkansas Box Score, November 2, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ "BCS Championship - Florida State vs Auburn Box Score, January 6, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Sammie Coates 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Auburn at Alabama Box Score, November 29, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Outback Bowl - Auburn vs Wisconsin Box Score, January 1, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ Ostendorf, Greg (December 15, 2014). "Auburn Tigers WR Sammie Coates declares for NFL draft". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  14. ↑ Crepea, James (December 22, 2014). "Sammie Coates accepts invite to Senior Bowl". montgomeryadvertiser.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  15. ↑ Wilson, Aaron (January 22, 2014). "Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates hopes to show Ravens his skill, not just speed". BaltimoreSun.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  16. ↑ Hladik, Matt (January 22, 2014). "Auburn Wide Receiver Sammie Coates Is Impressing At Senior Bowl Practices". thespun.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  17. ↑ Bottero, Gino (January 25, 2014). "Sammie Coates leaves Senior Bowl with groin injury". thescore.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  18. ↑ Marcello, Brandon (March 4, 2014). "Auburn Pro Day results: See how 17 former Tigers stack up". al.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Sammie Coates, DS #11 WR, Auburn". nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  20. ↑ Davis, Charles (April 1, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft prospect rankings by position". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Sammie Coates Draft Profile – NFL.com". NFL.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  22. ↑ "2015 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Sammie Coates Salary/Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap". OverTheCap.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steelers' depth chart: 10/01/2015". Ourlads.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Sammie Coates 2015 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  26. ↑ "2015 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Steelers' Antonio Brown ruled out of Broncos game with concussion". Baltimore Sun. Associated Press. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Divisional Round - Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos - January 17th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steelers' depth chart: 09/05/2016". Ourlads.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins - September 12th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 18th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  32. ↑ "New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 9th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  33. ↑ Popejoy, Curt (October 15, 2016). "Steelers Injury Update: Sammie Coates has Broken Index Finger". USAToday.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Sammie Coates 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  35. ↑ "2016 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  36. ↑ "AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots - January 22nd, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  37. ↑ Sessler, Marc (February 14, 2017). "Sammie Coates reportedly undergoes hernia surgery". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  38. ↑ Hartman, Jeff (July 26, 2017). "Sammie Coates' knee injury further complicates an already intense WR training camp battle". behindthesteelcurtain.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Steelers trade WR Sammie Coates to Browns". USA TODAY. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  40. ↑ Fowler, Jeremy (September 2, 2017). "Steelers trade Sammie Coates to Browns for 2018 sixth-round pick". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Ourlads.com: Cleveland Browns' depth chart: 10/01/2017". Ourlads.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns - October 29th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  44. ↑ "Browns release 10 players". ClevelandBrowns.com. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018.
  45. ↑ Wilson, Aaron (March 16, 2018). "Texans awarded receiver Sammie Coates off waivers". Chron.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  46. ↑ Williams, Charean (December 18, 2018). "Texans waive Sammie Coates". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  47. ↑ Williams, Charean (February 23, 2019). "Chiefs sign E.J. Manuel, three others". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  48. ↑ Alper, Josh (May 10, 2019). "Chiefs release Sammie Coates". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  49. ↑ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  50. ↑ "XFL Stats - Sammie Coates". stats.xfl.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  51. ↑ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  52. ↑ "Riders add five, including two Canadians". CFL.ca. December 21, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  53. ↑ "Coors Light Training Camp Opening Roster Set". Riderville.com. July 3, 2021. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  54. ↑ Swane, Brian (February 15, 2023). "Elks sign former NFL receiver Coates". GoElks.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  55. ↑ 3Down Staff (May 28, 2023). "Elks cut 18 after preseason finale, including former NFL draft pick Sammie Coates". 3DownNation. Retrieved May 29, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  56. ↑ Fowler, Jeremy (October 13, 2016). "As Sammie Coates eyes breakout season, Steelers WR taking nothing for granted". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  57. ↑ Staples, Andy (May 1, 2015). "New Steeler Sammie Coates has plenty to offer on, off the field". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  58. ↑ Douglas, Stephen (May 4, 2015). "Sammie Coates Got Drafted and Engaged on the Same Day". The Big Lead. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
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