Bryant expects benching
Disgruntled Steelers WR says he’ll be inactive Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have no plans to trade Martavis Bryant. They also apparently don’t have any plans to play him either. At least not in Detroit.
Bryant indicated he’ll be inactive when the first-place Steelers visit the Lions on Sunday night, the fallout from a social media outburst in which the wide receiver made it clear he’s unhappy with his role in the offense.
“I’m fine,” Bryant said Wednesday. “I ain’t tripping.”
Bryant, tied for third on the team with 18 receptions through seven games in his return from a year-plus suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, apologized for being a distraction.
But he’s not concerned about the backlash, inside the locker room or out.
“It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “It doesn’t affect the outcome of what I have to do in life. As you can see, I worked my way back and didn’t nobody think I was going to come back.”
Panthers: Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly practiced in full pads and coach Ron Rivera says he’s on pace to play Sunday against the Buccaneers. Kuechly has not yet been cleared from the NFL concussion protocol, Rivera said.
The NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 is expected to meet with independent physicians later this week.
Seahawks: Veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney is back in the NFL after agreeing to a deal to join Seattle. The 37-year-old has been without a job after spending last season with Atlanta.
Freeney will have a specific role as a pass rusher with the Seahawks, adding depth after defensive end Cliff Avril was placed on injured reserve last week with a neck injury.
Last year with the Falcons, Freeney appeared in 15 regular-season games and had three sacks. He started two of Atlanta’s three playoff games.
Freeney spent 11 seasons with Indianapolis, where he was a three-time All-Pro.
49ers: Coach Kyle Shanahan indicated he’s open to having trade discussions about left tackle Joe Staley with the trade deadline looming next week.
Shanahan’s club is 0-7 and Staley, 33, might not fit in the team’s long-term rebuilding project.
“You’ve got to always try to think what’s going to help your team and make your team better. To lose a guy like Joe Staley, that wouldn’t be something I’d be excited about, so that’d have to take a whole lot,” Shanahan said.
Bears: Traded a seventh-round draft pick to the Chargers for wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, a move Chicago coaches said is still pending a physical.
At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Inman provides the Bears with something they haven’t had since Kevin White went on injured reserve after Week 1 with a broken shoulder blade — a taller receiver versatile enough to get downfield or make short catches over the middle.
Lions: Signed kicker Matt Prater to a contract extension through the 2020 season. Prater has made 10 of 12 field goals this season, making four from 50-plus yards.
The 33-year-old Prater has connected on an NFL-record 78.4 percent of his field goals from 50 yards or longer, including a league-record 64-yarder in 2013 with the Broncos.
“He does a tremendous job just in terms of our comfort level with attempting kicks that ordinarily you probably would not attempt in a lot of situations,” coach Jim Caldwell said.
Broncos: Linebacker Shane Ray will return to the starting lineup Monday night at Kansas City after missing just six games with a broken left wrist that required surgery in late July.
Jets: Cornerback Buster Skrine has a concussion and his status is uncertain for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.
It is the third known concussion in two seasons for Skrine, who was injured last Sunday at Miami but finished the game.