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Pittsburgh Steelers: Does JuJu Smith-Schuster make Martavis Bryant expendable?

By Danny Jaillet

BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 01: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers scores a touchdown in the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 01: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers scores a touchdown in the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) /
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How much of a factor is Pittsburgh Steelers rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster’s emergence playing into Martavis Bryant wanting out?

Even as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Kansas City Chiefs by a 19-13 margin in Week 6, there was still news out of the Pittsburgh locker room that had eyebrows raised on Sunday. Wide receiver Martavis Bryant reportedly requested a trade from the organization, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. Rapoport said in a tweet that both the team and Bryant’s teammates have been made aware the wideout wants to be traded.

Bryant has had, to say the least, a rough go of things recently. A suspension kept him out for the entirety of the 2016 season, and attributed to him missing time to start this year as he waited to be reinstated.

He has yet to put together an impactful game since returning from his suspension more than a month ago. He has 15 catches for 204 yards on the season, and notched a two-catch 27-yard game against the Chiefs Sunday.

There are certainly some plausible theories as to why Bryant would want out of Pittsburgh. The big one, however, is the emergence of rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster. The USC product cannot be overlooked.

Smith-Schuster has 15 catches for 192 yards on the season and put together a solid game on Sunday. He snagged three passes for 32 yards, serving the role of deep threat, a role that Bryant has played for the Steelers when on the field. At age 20, Smith-Schuster is also a bit younger than Bryant, who is currently 25.

Bryant does have some things going his way in this situation. He is still relatively young and has not hit his prime yet. Because of this, it is a safe bet to say there is a market of interested teams out there for him. He can stretch the field and make impact plays when he is at his best.

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In my opinion, he is beginning to see the writing on the wall. He thinks he can be a top receiver elsewhere, and he knows Pittsburgh is not the place he can truly thrive. That is not to say he has not had a great career in the Steel City, only that he is ready to take the next step somewhere else and to be out of the shadow of Antonio Brown — and maybe Smith-Schuster now too.

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