Instant Analysis: Sammie Coates traded to Cleveland

Ryan McDowell

With the NFL roster cut down happening, many teams are making moves to get to the 53-player limit. NFC North rivals Pittsburgh and Cleveland have agreed to a deal that should be mutually beneficial. The Steelers traded wide receiver Sammie Coates and a 2019 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for the Browns’ 2018 sixth-round choice. Coates had missed much of the preseason after a knee procedure and as recently as two weeks ago, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin publicly put the heat on Coates, suggesting he was competing with veteran Justin Hunter for a roster spot.

While some might view this as a minor trade, it actually affects many players on both rosters. Let’s begin with the obvious players being impacted.

Sammie Coates, WR CLE

When the Steelers needed Coates the most, he couldn’t stay healthy. I’m referring to last season when the suspension of Martavis Bryant opened a clear path to fantasy relevance for Coates. Once the suspension was announced, things were looking up for Coates, who saw first-team snaps and was the presumed starter early in training camp. That continued into the regular season as Coates racked up over 400 yards through the first five weeks of the 2016 season, highlighted by a Week Five game in which he burned the Jets for two scores and 139 yards. In that same game, Coates suffered a hand injury that effectively ruined his season, though. While he continued to see occasional action, he only managed 14 more yards on the season. In addition to the hand injury, Coates also dealt with hamstring issues.

Coates ultimately required surgery to repair a sports-hernia, which kept him out of action for much of the off-season. Add in a late July knee scope previously mentioned and it is no surprise the Steelers and Tomlin didn’t feel like they could count on the former Auburn star.

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In Cleveland, Coates should once again see a clear path to playing time. The Browns are continuing to completely overhaul their roster, but the wide receiver corps remains a weakness. To gain the trust and playing time in Cleveland, Coates’ main obstacle will simply be staying on the field.

As for his dynasty value, despite a drop from what is considered one of the stronger and more consistent offenses in the league with Pittsburgh, to the work in progress that is Cleveland, this could still be a bump for Coates’ value, mostly due to that depth chart. With the Steelers, he was never going to make a dent in the roles of Antonio Brown or Bryant and was competing with Eli Rogers and rookie Juju Smith-Schuster for playing time, not to mention the pass catching role of running back Le’Veon Bell and tight ends Jesse James and Vance McDonald. In Cleveland, Coates won’t see nearly that level of competition for looks, which makes him worthy of an end of bench stash as we see if he can stay on the field. His ADP will surely rise a smidge with this news.

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Pittsburgh Offense

As I previously mentioned, the Steelers haven’t really been able to count on Coates to contribute over the past year (or more), so this move doesn’t affect most of the key contributors on their offense. Coates was being viewed as a big play, speed option that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could target deep down the field. With Bryant now fully cleared and reinstated following his year-long suspension, that role is covered. The loss of Coates also won’t affect Bell or Brown, who should continue to see a heavy dose of targets, as they do each season.

This should be a good sign for a trio of wideouts fighting for playing time, or even just hoping to land a spot on the 53-man roster. While Coates failed the Steelers last season, it was Rogers who stepped up and essentially became the second wideout behind Brown. He’s currently being viewed as the third receiver in this offense and is expected to man the slot. With so many Steelers fighting for looks, it might be tough for Rogers to be worth keeping in the typical dynasty leagues, even after his solid contribution in 2016.

Next in line is the rookie, Juju Smith-Schuster. Little has been reported about the second-rounder’s training camp and preseason, except for a pair of injuries (concussion/bruised knee) that has cost him some practice time. The former USC star remains a solid long-term hold in dynasty leagues, but may not offer fantasy owners much in his rookie season.

Finally, former dynasty darling Justin Hunter has apparently earned a roster spot. Remember, he is the player Coach Tomlin suggested was competing with Coates for one spot. While not all moves have been made or reported yet, the departure of Coates is a good sign for the former Titans receiver who has disappointed fantasy players for years. This move alone is not enough to make him roster worthy in dynasty leagues, but if any of the players ahead of him were to miss time, he’d be a priority waiver add in many leagues.

Browns Offense

Adding more weapons is always a good thing when you’re rolling out a rookie quarterback and that is the situation the Browns find themselves in, having named former Notre Dame signal caller DeShone Kizer as their starter.

The Browns current top two wideouts look good, at least on the depth chart. They signed veteran Kenny Britt away from the Rams this off-season, following a career-year in 2016. Many fantasy owners, especially in seasonal leagues, pegged Britt as undervalued, based on the assumption that he would dominate the target share in his new home. While that may still be the case, he has not looked like a polished veteran this pre-season, catching just three passes and being outplayed by his teammate Corey Coleman.

If the Browns has their druthers, it would be the second-year man, Coleman, who truly becomes their top option. He missed much of his rookie season with injuries and has been banged up at points in training camp as well. I am beginning to wonder if he’s the type of receiver who might always be nicked up, to the frustration of his fantasy owners. If both Britt and Coleman live up to expectations and stay healthy, Coates will be the clear third option in this offense, at best. Also, it’s worth noting, running back Duke Johnson is one of the best pass-catching backs in the league and the Browns have rookie David Njoku, effectively a wideout playing tight end as well.

Some of the Browns deeper options on the receiver depth chart are likely the ones who will be most affected by this trade – this includes players like Rashard Higgins, Ricardo Louis and Jordan Payton. Each are entering their second year and are largely unproven – now they have another obstacle in their way of seeing any playing time. If you were stashing any of this trio at the end of your dynasty bench hoping to strike gold, it’s likely best to start mining the waiver wire once again.

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ryan mcdowell