Pittsburgh Steelers second-year wide receiver Martavis Bryant missed the team’s Monday bonus day practice and while head coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t willing to reveal the reason why he was absent for that session during his Tuesday press conference, the former fourth-round draft pick has now explained it.
According to Jacob Klinger of PennLive.com, Bryant said Wednesday that he was out sick Monday. Additionally, Bryant wasn’t listed on the team’s Wednesday injury report, so it’s obvious he was back on the field preparing for Sundays game against the Seattle Seahawks.
A few weeks ago, Bryant missed a Wednesday practice prior to the Week 9 game against the Oakland Raiders due to an illness. He did, however, practice fully the following two days and went on to catch 3 passes for 31 yards in the win over the Raiders.
So far this season, Bryant has 22 catches for 440 yards and five touchdowns in the five games that he’s played in. This coming Sunday will also mark the 16th regular-season game that he has played in as a professional and if he catches a touchdown in that game, he’ll move into a tie for the fourth-most touchdown catches (14) in a player’s first 16 games.
As previously noted, Bryant figures to be matched up several times on Sunday against former undrafted free agent cornerback DeShawn Shead and perhaps even veteran cornerback Cary Williams, and especially when he lines up on the left side of the offense. In the Steelers Week 10 win over the Cleveland Browns, Bryant hauled in 6 passes in the game for 178 yards and a touchdown.
