Steelers waiting for Bryant ruling
substance abuse policy. Even if that occurs, there remain other critical factors as well, primarily the ability of Bryant to regain the trust of his teammates and coaches and stay clean to avoid another suspension.
Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers hierarchy have been reluctant to say much, if anything, about Bryant until he is reinstated. But when asked Tuesday about Bryant and his possible return, Tomlin was a bit more direct.
“Obviously from a personal perspective, we are hopeful,” Tomlin said. “He is a good guy. We wish him nothing but the best. But from a professional standpoint, we understand the nature of this business, that the train moves on. And we have been on it now for 12 months. Hopefully he will get the opportunity to maybe get onto the moving train.”
Whether or not Bryant can hop on won’t be determined until he gets with his teammates and back on the playing field, if and when that happens. Meantime, that question mark will have a direct effect on what the Steelers do in the draft and just how early they might take a player to complement Brown.
Right now, the roster options aren’t exactly steaming down the track. Aside from Brown, the only viable option is slot receiver Eli Rogers, who caught 35 of his 48 passes and two of his three touchdowns in the final nine games.
Even Sammie Coates, a third-round pick in 2015 and the one player with Bryantlike ability, remains a question mark after an injuryriddled 2016. Coates started the regular season doing a great impersonation of Bryant, catching six passes of 40plus yards in the first five games, including a 72-yard touchdown. But injuries to his fingers and groin conspired to limit him to just two catches for 14 yards and relegate him to special teams in his next nine games.
What can the Steelers expect from him in 2017? Who knows.
“I expect him to take another leap,” Tomlin said. “I think he took a significant leap from Year No. 1 to Year No. 2, one that we expect. He faced some adversity throughout the journey with injuries and so forth. I expect him to continue to grow, evolve and come with the level of preparedness that he had last year. And hopefully, with the level of improvement he had last year
“I’m not providing excuses. Injuries are a part of the game. The year played out the way it played out. I expect him to experience similar games as we move into Year No. 3 for him.”
The Steelers signed Justin Hunter in free agency after a mostly unimpressive season in 2016 with the Buffalo Bills and hope he can regain some of the form that made him a second-round draft choice in 2013. Hunter caught only 10 passes in 12 games with the Bills in 2016, though four were for touchdowns as a red-zone threat.
“He’s big and fast,” Tomlin said of Hunter. “He’s been a consistent big-play maker, not only since he’s been in the league, but in college. I was at his pro day when he came out of the University of Tennessee. He’s a Virginia Beach-area guy like I am. I’ve known about him for some time. Those type of attributes are attractive to us.”
With the free-agent loss of Markus Wheaton, Hunter will be in battle with DeMarcus Ayers, veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey and Cobi Hamilton for one of the six receiving spots. The odd man out, for now, could be Hamilton, who plays the same outside position as Hunter. Ayers is a slot receiver.
Like Bryant, they’re all trying to get on a moving train.
“I’m excited about watching those guys sort themselves out,” Tomlin said. “We’re not short of candidates and capable men. That’s a great place to start.”