With several injuries at wide receiver, getting Martavis Bryant back would be huge.
Heck, forget about the injuries. Getting Bryant back no matter what would a big victory. And according to the receiver, he’s close to being allowed back on the practice field.
Per NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala, Bryant told her he was “close,” to returning to practice.
WR Martavis Bryant rode by on a cart, wearing a smile. I asked when we’d see him on th field. He said, “I’m close.” #Steelers
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) July 31, 2017
Bryant has been barred from practice by the league for reasons that are not explicitly known. Either the league’s red tape and typically long, drawn-out processes are creating the hangup or Bryant has not fully complied with the conditions of his conditional reinstatement. Chiefly, not setting up drug/clinic resources in Latrobe and/or Pittsburgh that are up to the NFL’s standards.
At the start of camp, Mike Tomlin called those hurdles simply “procedural.”
The Steelers are currently thinner than expected at WR. Sammie Coates is on PUP due to knee surgery and JuJu Smith-Schuster twisted his ankle on the third day of practice.
It’s been a long time since Bryant has hit the practice field. And it’ll be one heck of a welcome sight when that happens, hopefully, within the next couple of days.
