Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates played only two offensive snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys and failed to register reception. Now we know why.
“I got a busted hand,” Coates said Monday afternoon, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “There isn’t much I can do. It’s what they allow me to do. That’s all there is to it. My hand has to heal. It hasn’t healed yet.”
Coates’ injured hand includes the broken index finger that he suffered back in the Week 5 game against the New York Jets. Since suffering that injury, the former third round draft pick has caught just one pass for four yards.
While Coates has seen his offensive snaps dwindle down to almost zero, he’s still playing extensively on special teams.
The Steelers young wide receiver doesn’t know when his hand will heal fully but plans to keep fighting through the injury. Until fully healthy, expect Cobi Hamilton to continue playing quite a bit and especially with Darrius Heyward-Bey and Markus Wheaton currently sidelined with their injuries.
