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The long wait for Martavis Bryant and the Steelers ended Wednesday evening when the NFL finally cleared him to join his teammates in preseason practice and games, 16 months after he was suspended for one year.
The league, however, stopped short of fully reinstating him.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement that Bryant was “informed by the NFL that he is now permitted to participate in preseason activities, including practices and games. He will continue to be evaluated as to his readiness to participate in regular-season activities under the terms of his conditional reinstatement.”
Bryant also was conditionally reinstated to participate in spring practices but was halted by the NFL from doing so once training camp started. It would appear he must still pass some kind of muster with the league in order to be fully reinstated for the regular season.
The Steelers were surprised when the NFL did not allow Bryant to practice this summer after permitting him to do so in the spring. He has been running, working out and catching passes on a side field as the Steelers practice in training camp at Saint Vincent College.
He likely will miss Friday night’s preseason opener at the New York Giants since they only have a light practice Thursday before leaving for the game later that day.
Bryant, the team’s fourth-round draft pick from Clemson in 2014, stands 6-foot-4 and has 4.34 speed in the 40. He was a true game-breaker in parts of two seasons with the Steelers. After sitting for the first six games as a rookie when he was deemed not yet ready, he burst into the lineup by catching his first pass for a 35-yard touchdown. He went on to average 21.1 yards on 26 receptions as a rookie with eight touchdowns in 10 games.
He was first suspended for violating the NFL’s drug policy, reportedly for marijuana use, in 2015, missing the first four games. He returned to play in 11 games and caught 50 passes for an average of 15.3 yards with six touchdowns.
He was suspended on March 14 by the NFL for one year for violating the drug policy again, presumably multiple times since another violation after his first suspension would draw a 10-game suspension.
Provided all goes well for him, Bryant should start at receiver alongside Antonio Brown in what is shaping up as a dynamic Steelers offense.
Bryant, 25, has this season and next under contract.
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