Sep 6, 2017 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – You’ll excuse Martavis Bryant if he’s treating this season as something new.

After all, the Steelers wide receiver has never played an NFL game in the month of September before. Heck, he’s never even dressed for a Steelers’ regular-season opener.

Because of suspensions and the fact he was inactive for the Steelers’ first six games of his rookie season in 2014, Bryant will appear in a regular season opener for the first time Sunday, when the Steelers play the Browns in Cleveland.

For a player coming off a year-long suspension for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, it might be a good time to announce his return to the NFL with a big game, something Bryant would love to do.

“Each player wants to do that,” Bryant said. “But I’m going to let it happen.

“I’ve been thinking about it a whole year. It didn’t just start. I’m almost there. I’ve still got work to do. I’m going to work and have fun doing it. When Sunday comes, I’ll be ready.”

Keeping Bryant from getting too amped up for the game might fall on the shoulders of quarterback and offensive captain Ben Roethlisberger.

But Roethlisberger might have bigger issues.

“We’ll probably all need calmed down a little bit,” said Roethlisberger. “We’ll probably all be juiced up and ready to go. It’s not just football. It’s AFC North football.”

It will, however, have a little more meaning for Bryant.

For the final 10 games of the 2014 season, Bryant was the best deep threat in football, catching 26 passes for 549 yards and eight touchdowns, including a 35-yard score against Houston for his first NFL reception.

But he was suspended to open the 2015 season for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. He returned that season with a splash, catching six passes for 137 yards and two scores in a win over Arizona at Heinz Field with Mike Vick and Landry Jones at quarterback.

Bryant finished with 52 catches for 760 yards and six touchdowns in just 11 games, adding another score on a reverse. Included in that was a 6-catch, 178-yard game against the Browns in which he also scored a touchdown.

He then had 11 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown in two playoff games, showing that he might be the game’s best No. 2 receiver.

Then came an offseason and the announcement he would be suspended for the 2016 season because of multiple violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

The Steelers’ offense suffered because of it.

While the team was successful, reaching the AFC Championship, it never found a consistent threat opposite star receiver Antonio Brown.

Bryant knows he can be that again.

He knows he can’t do anything about the people who doubt his sobriety will last. On the football field, it’s a different matter.

“The only person I have something to prove to is myself; that I am capable of still doing what I used to do and have fun doing it,” Bryant said. “I am not going to add any pressure on myself. I am going to go out and do what I have been doing and let everything else fall into place.”

The rest of it, including acceptance by the fans, will be among those things.

“I am staying focused. It’s the season now,” said Bryant. “I can’t go into the game with any rust. It’s all go. I have to work hard in practice, focus on my conditioning, and go out and play a great game on Sunday. I believe I did (knock off the rust). I still have a lot of work to do. It’s the first game.

“(I) don’t have time for nerves anymore.”

Defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season, said his agent and the Steelers are closing in on a contract extension. … The team also would like to get a deal completed before the start of the season with placekicker Chris Boswell. … Free safety Mike Mitchell was back on the practice field as a full participant for the first time since the first week of training camp. “It was good to have my partner back out there,” said strong safety Sean Davis. Mitchell, who is coming back from a hamstring injury, should play Sunday. … T.J. Watt is slated to be the first Steelers rookie to start at outside linebacker in the opener since Aaron Jones in 1988. … New cornerback Joe Haden bought safety Robert Golden’s No. 21. Golden will now wear No. 20, which had been in use by rookie corner Cam Sutton, who is now on injured reserve. … Long snapper Kameron Canaday changed his number from 46 to 57.