Pittsburgh Steelers: Martavis Bryant Facing Year-Long Suspension
By Dan Thomas
Pittsburgh Steelers dynamic wide receiver Martavis Byrant is facing a season-long suspension for the upcoming 2016 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
The breaking-news was first reported by Dejan Kovacevic from DKPittsburghSports.com.
Bryant and his agent, Tom Santanello, are currently appealing the suspension. However, at this point it’s better for the Steelers and their fans to assume that Bryant will not be with the team next season.
If you recall, Bryant missed the first four games of the 2015 season due to a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Related Story: What remaining fee agents should the Steelers target?
So the question now becomes, “Where do the Steelers go from here?”
Luckily for the Steelers, they still manage to have Antonio Brown on the roster who is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. Brown has averaged 125 receptions and 10 touchdowns for the Steelers over the last three seasons.
Former 3rd-round pick Markus Wheaton is entering his fourth season in the NFL and will more than likely serve as the team’s new No. 2 wideout. Wheaton had a career high in receiving yards (749) and receiving touchdowns (5) in 2015.
Last year’s third-round rookie Sammie Coates was an unknown man to many because he finished the regular season only with one reception for 11 yards. However, he saved his best performance for last as he “broke out” in the AFC Divisional round against the Denver Broncos for two receptions for 61 yards.
More from Pittsburgh Steelers
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Kenny Pickett looks amazing going into year two for the Steelers
- 3 players the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on way too soon
- Rest of NFL will regret letting Steelers land this steal of a rookie
- Steelers would be ideal landing spot for Caleb Williams, Drake Maye
In Markus Wheaton’s second year with the Steelers he finished with 53 receptions for 644 yards. That was a big jump from his rookie season when he only finished with six receptions for 64 yards. It won’t be shocking if Coates makes a similar jump in his second season.
Monday’s re-signing of WR Darrius Heyward-Bey didn’t seem like a significant signing at the time to many but now it’s definitely worth noting. Heyward-Bey finished with 209 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns between Weeks 1-5 when Bryant missed four games due to a suspension and one because of injury.
Wheaton, Coates and Heyward-Bey need to step their game up behind Antonio Brown. It’s the “next man up” mentality at this point for the Steelers. All three wide receivers now have at least one year under their belt in the system and need to build off of their 2015 campaigns.
Newly-signed tight end Ladarius Green might even be leaned on more than initially expected. He could even see some time in the slot due to his height (6’6″) and speed (4.53 – 40 time) or even be split out wide in certain redzone packages.
On the bright side, the Steelers and their coaching staff now have ample time to prepare without Bryant. Last year, Bryant wasn’t officially suspended for the first four games of the season until a couple weeks before their Week 1 season opener against the New England Patriots.
Does losing Bryant hurt the Steelers?
Yes. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
But is it a crippling blow? No. Not by any means.
As long as the Steelers have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger healthy and behind center, the Steelers are going into a majority of their 2016 games as the favorites to win.
More nfl spin zone: Could Eric Weddle be a game changer for the Ravens?
Throw in a few All-Pro’s like Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey and this offense should still finish somewhere in the top five just like it did in 2014 and 2015.
The Steelers and their fans are hoping that those key pieces can stay healthy and this early subtraction of Bryant isn’t a sign of things to come.