Bryant ‘a little nervous’ about playing again
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant makes a catch in front of cornerback Ross Cockrell during a Wednesday training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Martavis Bryant have been working to get their timing back.
PITTSBURGH – The last time Martavis Bryant was seen in a Steelers uniform at Heinz Field, he had a career-high 10 catches in a victory over the Denver Broncos.
That game came just before Christmas in 2015.
Since that time, Bryant had one of the best playoff games of any receiver in Steelers history – albeit in a loss – was suspended by the NFL for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy for the 2016 season then reinstated on a conditional basis earlier this year.
Twenty months is an eternity to be out of sight. But Bryant, one of the top deep threats in the NFL, hopes he wasn’t out of mind for Steelers fans.
He’ll get his first opportunity to reintroduce himself to Steelers fans today, when Atlanta comes to Heinz Field in the second preseason game for both teams.
Kickoff is 4 p.m.
“A little nervous,” Bryant admitted about his return to Heinz Field. “But it’s football. I’m not going to shy away from the moment, I’ll tell you that.”
Bryant didn’t get to play in a 20-12 preseason-opening win last weekend on the road against the Giants because of an issue with the league and his conditional reinstatement. Though Bryant was given the OK to return to the Steelers in the spring and attend OTAs and minicamp, he was told he could not practice when he arrived at training camp.
He still must be given final approval to play in the regular season, but he and the Steelers believe that will happen.
“I’m just happy to get back on the field in general,” Bryant said.
“It’s been a year since I’ve played football, so (I’m) going to be excited to see what I can do.”
The offensive focus will largely be on Bryant. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and star receiver Antonio Brown are being held out of the game by head coach Mike Tomlin.
Running back Le’Veon Bell remains away from the team – at least for the time being – waiting to report and sign his franchise tender offer.
With Bell out of the picture, the Steelers also plan on getting their first look at running back James Conner, a third-round draft pick out of Pitt.
Conner missed the offseason workouts with a hamstring injury, then suffered a shoulder injury on the first day in pads in training camp. He also did not play against the Giants but participated in practice in the final week of training camp at Saint Vincent College and is slated to see action in this game.
“I haven’t thought about utilization of him relative to his circumstance,” Tomlin said. “More than anything, I’m going to give him as much as he can handle. But I’m going to keep a close eye on that because there hasn’t been a lot of work so far for him. I’m going to keep a close eye on the conditioning element of it as we see with him. Crawl before we walk.”
With Roethlisberger a healthy scratch and backup Landry Jones unlikely to play after returning to practice earlier this week following an abdominal injury, rookie Josh Dobbs will start at quarterback. Fellow rookie Bart Houston will relieve Dobbs, a fourth-round draft pick.
Dobbs threw two early interceptions in the win over the Giants, but rebounded to complete 8 of 15 passes for 100 yards and one touchdown.
“We’ll look forward to him showing growth since his last outing,” Tomlin said.
Much like the growth they have noticed in Bryant since his return.
He’s put more muscle on his 6-4 frame, coming to training camp at 220 pounds rather than the 211 at which he’s listed. His route running is more crisp. He is much more focused.
“Martavis is just so big and strong and he can really hand fight with you like a lot of bigger receivers,” said Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell. “And you can tell he’s worked on his route running. He’s just a more complete receiver.”
Odds and end zones
Though he returned to practice Friday, inside linebacker Ryan Shazier is not expected to play for the Steelers. … Inside linebacker L.J. Fort led the Steelers in tackles against the Giants with seven, and outside linebackers Arthur Moats (3) and first-round draft pick T.J. Watt (2) combined for five of the team’s seven sacks. … Center Maurkice Pouncey and guard Ramon Foster are not expected to play. … The Steelers broke training camp at Saint Vincent College and will return to work Monday at the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex after Sunday’s game.