The Browns traded for former Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates in an effort to improve a young, inexperienced position group. Cleveland also claimed Pittsburgh's 2019 seventh-round NFL Draft pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick next spring.
Here are five things to know about Coates and trade for the third-year player:
— Coates, who caught 22 catches for 446 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons with the Steelers, gives rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer and the Browns a vertical threat who can stretch the field. He clocked a 4.4 second 40-yard dash at the combine and has a big enough frame (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) to be physical with smaller defensive backs.
— After playing sparingly as a rookie, Coates was poised for a breakout season in 2016 before finger injuries slowed that momentum. In the first five games of the season, he caught 19 passes for 421 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 31 targets.
— Coates had his best statistical game last year against the Jets, catching six passes for 116 yards and a 72-yard touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger.
— Coates was the 87th overall pick (Round 3, Pick 23) in 2015 and earned high marks for his ability to take the top off a defense. In his NFL.com draft profile, network analyst Mike Mayock said: "This guy is pure speed. He's big bodied and takes the top off of zones. He is a height-weight-speed specimen. The only question is how natural are his hands."
— Before the NFL, Coates averaged 21 yards per catch at Auburn, totaling 82 catches for 1,757 yards and 12 touchdowns. He saved some of his best performances for the biggest stages, including a 206-yard, two-touchdown outing against Alabama in 2014. Coates is from Leroy, Alabama, a small town of less than 1,000 people.
