With Martavis Bryant suspended for the entire season, Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates must step up in the Steelers offense. Could the Steelers achieve the rare feat of three 1,000-yard receivers in 2016?
Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But the Steelers offense has a very real chance of making history this year – joining only five teams in NFL history who have done so.
The season-long suspension of Martavis Bryant has ascended Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates up the Steelers wide receiver depth chart. While Antonio Brown will remain the team’s #1 (obviously), Wheaton may see his first full season as a starter in 2016, and Coates could catapult into a starting role.
Coates gave us a taste of his potential in last season’s AFC Divisional game in Denver, but otherwise, he’s scarcely seen the field. On the other hand, Wheaton has accumulated 20 starts in his three years with the Steelers.
Over the past two years, Wheaton has tallied 1,393 yards and 7 touchdowns; his 749 yards and five TDs in 2015 were both career-highs. Wheaton’s breakout performance came in week 12 in Seattle, where he torched the Seahawks defense for 9 catches, 201 yards and a touchdown. Aside from this, however, Wheaton averaged a measly 37 yards per game.
On good weeks, Wheaton buoyed around the 60-yard mark. On bad weeks, he was all but invisible. In order to make up for Bryant’s absence, Wheaton will have to start posting strong numbers on a weekly basis.
I’ve already argued that a 1,000-yard season is a must for Wheaton, as well as the entire Steelers offense. Entering his fourth year with the opportunity to be a full-time starter, Wheaton has got to make the leap.
Sammie Coates has quite the leap to make as well.
Despite catching a grand total of three passes last season (playoffs included), expectations for Coates are through the roof for 2016. The former Auburn standout has officially been crowned as the second coming of Martavis Bryant – minus the suspensions, hopefully.
Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley has described a “night and day” difference between Coates’ play from last season to now. Everyone from local beat writers to national journalists have offered rave reviews of Coates’ performance in this year’s Steelers training camp.
Observation from Latrobe: Sammie Coates = really good
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) July 30, 2016
Hype is all well and good, but it’s yet to be seen if Coates can translate it into a production-filled regular season. Expecting a 1,000-yard campaign out of a relative newbie is optimistic, to be sure, but it’s not totally unrealistic given the Steelers’ circumstances.
We know that Ben Roethlisberger loves to keep defenses on their heels with the deep ball, and with Bryant out, Coates becomes the Steelers’ new downfield burner. Expect Coates to get at least one home-run attempt per game.
Feeding Coates early and often will not only get him into rhythm faster, but also add another element for defenses to prepare for. With a strong rushing attack and a bevy of talented receivers, the Steelers offense will be racking up yards with ease. Should Coates establish his presence early, 1,000 yards isn’t out of the equation.
Last but not least, of course, is Antonio Brown. Little analysis is needed here.
Brown has amassed 1,500 yards or more in each of the past three seasons. In that span, he’s averaged 125 receptions-per-year alongside an average of 13.4 yards-per-catch. Barring an alien invasion, Brown will continue to run circles around defenses in 2016. Business, indeed, is boomin’.
Some factors that could hamper the 1,000-yard triple crown are the emergence of new tight end Ladarius Green and the receiving prowess of Le’Veon Bell. However, given Green’s injury and Bell’s inevitable four-game suspension, the Steelers receivers will be looked to even more so.
The squadron of Brown, Wheaton and Coates enters the 2016 season with lofty expectations. All three reaching 1,000 receiving yards is a daunting task, but the talent to achieve this feat is unquestionably there.
I suspect Ben Roethlisberger is on board, too.
All stats via Pro Football Reference.