Aug 13, 2017 4 min read

LATROBE – On one side of the field, Antonio Brown lined up on the outside with Eli Rogers in the slot. On the other side was Martavis Bryant with tight end Jesse James.

The only missing piece was running back Le’Veon Bell.

It made no difference, as Rogers went in motion to the right, leaving Brown against cornerback Ross Cockrell.

Because of the presence of the 6-4 Bryant, the defense was loath to double-team Brown, the NFL’s receptions leader over the past four seasons.

Advantage offense. Easy touchdown.

The so-called Killer Bs, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown and Bryant, are closer to being back.

Getting Bell to show up for camp and sign his franchise tender tag is the next step now that Bryant has been cleared by the NFL to resume practicing at Saint Vincent College.

That had not been permitted by the NFL for the first two weeks of training camp as Bryant still had some requirements before returning from a year-long suspension for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

Bryant was given the yellow light last Wednesday – he still must receive final approval to start the regular season – but the Steelers feel it’s only a matter of time.

Unfortunately for the Steelers, they haven’t been able to put the Killer Bs together on the field much over the years.

Since Bryant’s rookie season in 2014, when he didn’t play in the first six games, the Steelers have had him on the field with Roethlisberger, Brown and Bell for just one half in a win at St. Louis two years ago.

Backup quarterback Landry Jones has played more with Brown, Bell and Bryant than Roethlisberger.

“I didn’t know that,” said Jones, who is currently sitting out with an abdominal strain. “I guess we should have won more.”

That’s the idea moving forward. When that group played together for the final 10 regular season games of 2014, the Steelers went 8-2 and averaged 31.1 points before Bell was injured in the regular season finale against Cincinnati.

That’s nearly a full touchdown more than the 24.9 points per game they averaged last season without Bryant.

When Bell finally shows up and signs his franchise tag, the Steelers will have the old gang back together.

“We’ve definitely got something special,” Bryant said.

And the Steelers are eager to see it.

That has been evident in their usage of him when he initially returned from suspension for OTAs and minicamp in the spring and was on display again Sunday.

There was no easing Bryant into things. He was thrown right in.

“He looked like Martavis,” said head coach Mike Tomlin. “He’s a talented athlete. He’s a highly conditioned athlete, so that’s part of it. Knocking the rust off and getting reacclimated with what he’s required to do to win at this level will be a process.

“It will be fun to watch him do it.”

The fans at Sunday’s practice enjoyed it. They cheered Bryant when he made one of his trademark catches from Roethlisberger down the sideline, shucked off cornerback Brian Allen and continued down the field for a touchdown.

He’s sure to hear some unkind words at some point. You don’t go through a highly public bout with drug dependency and get suspended twice without putting a target on your back.

But it’s been positive so far.

“I’m not worried about that,” said Bryant of any possible negative reaction. “I’m just here to play football. That’s all I’m going to worry about.”

The big, speedy receiver should cause plenty of worry on opposing sidelines.

In 21 career regular season games, he’s caught 76 passes for 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns, adding 19 more receptions for 244 yards and two scores in three playoff games.

“He looks great,” said Jones. “Obviously, you know you have to worry about AB and Le’Veon, but his size and speed add another factor altogether.”

Odds and end zones

Rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Shuster and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva were back at practice Sunday, though Smith-Shuster was limited to non-contact drills. Both are dealing with concussions. … Receiver Justin Hunter, cornerbacks Artie Burns and Cameron Sutton, running backs James Conner and Trey Williams, linebacker Bud Dupree and safety Sean Davis returned to practice on at least a limited basis. … Those who sat out Sunday included linebackers Ryan Shazier, Keion Adams, James Harrison and Anthony Chickillo, safety Mike Mitchell, cornerback Senquez Golson and wide receiver Demarcus Ayers. … The Steelers will practice at 3 p.m. Monday at Saint Vincent College. The session is open to the public.