National Football League

Bengals TE Coffman has ankle surgery

Published Dec. 17, 2009 5:07 p.m. ET

foxsports

Bengals rookie tight end Chase Coffman had surgery Wednesday to remove bone spurs from his left ankle.

Coffman is expected to be ready for the start of next season. The third-round draft pick never got on the field this year, struggling with his blocking and the bad ankle.

He was inactive for the first 12 games. The Bengals put him on injured reserve after he decided to have surgery to clean out the ankle and get ready for next year.

Cincinnati lost its top two tight ends - Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht - to injuries at the start of training camp.