Bryant Part Of Steelers' Next Game Plan
- Martavis Bryant has been informed he’s going to be part of the Steelers‘ Week 10 game plan, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports, continuing to squelch the notion the mercurial pass-catcher could be traded today. The Steelers have said they are not trading the fourth-year wide receiver, one who has another season remaining on his rookie contract since it tolled while he was suspended. Fowler notes Pittsburgh could get blown away by an offer but doesn’t see a trade coming.
- Steelers rookie cornerback Cameron Sutton returned to practice on Tuesday, the team announced. He remains on IR, and the Steelers have 21 days to activate the third-round pick. Pittsburgh has six cornerbacks on its active roster presently.
Latest On Martavis Bryant
- The Steelers are ignoring Martavis Bryant‘s trade request and plan to continue ignoring it, according to Albert Breer of SI.com, which makes it sound as if Pittsburgh is going to try and make things work with its disgruntled but talented wideout. However, that has not stopped contending teams from inquiring on Bryant, according to Rapoport (video link), who suggests that the Steelers are willing to at least listen to offers. The Patriots are one potential landing spot, as they discussed trading for Bryant prior to the draft.
AFC Notes: Steelers, Bryant, Patriots, Belichick, Jaguars, Albert
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant says that he wants to be traded if he doesn’t get targeted more. It sounds like quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has gotten the message.
“Hopefully, it’s lots of touchdown passes,” Roethlisberger said (according to Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). “We need to get the ball to him, to everybody, we all need to score points. There are opportunities there. That’s why I told him to come talk to me. We’ve had opportunities with deep balls that were just missed whether it was me overthrowing him or it’s the Chicago game where he slows down a little bit or this last game where he doesn’t see the ball coming out of my hand. There are plays to be had. We just have to make them.”
However, Roethlisberger will have to wait a while before lobbing passes in Bryant’s direction. On Wednesday, the Steelers informed the wide receiver that he will not be active for Sunday’s game against Detroit. After that, the Steelers have their bye week, so Bryant’s next opportunity to play will not come until Sunday Nov. 12 against Indianapolis.
- The trade deadline is right around the corner and Patriots coach Bill Belichick says he’s not afraid to deal. “The thing about us, other teams in the league know that we’re open for business,” Belichick told WEEI. “We’re not afraid to make a trade. If they are interested in trading somebody, we are usually a team that gets called because people think and know we’re open on those discussions. If we’re not interested we will tell them we’re not interested. Again, there’s no book on that. Every situation is different. Every trade is different. Every exchange is different, so you just have to take them as they come and if the two sides can agree, great. Sometimes one side wants something and the other side is just not ready to get to the same point.” Teams have until Oct. 31 to make trades.
- Before he was released by the Jaguars, Branden Albert was asked to play guard since he was not going to win the left tackle job, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. When he declined, Albert was shown the door. Presumably, his contract demands and flip-flopping on retirement did not help his case.
- On Wednesday, the Chargers shipped wide receiver Dontrelle Inman to the Bears.
Latest On Steelers’ Martavis Bryant
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant was told by team brass that he should expect to be inactive on Sunday (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). This comes on the heels of word that Bryant was practicing with the scout team on Wednesday (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). 
When asked why he won’t be playing this weekend, Bryant told reporters (Twitter link) that it all stems from “social media.” Earlier this week, Bryant got into it with a fan on Instagram who asserted that teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster was the superior wide receiver.
“JuJu is no where near better than me, fool,” Bryant wrote. “All they need to do is give me what I want and y’all can have JuJu and whoever else.”
Of course, that social media spat came in the midst of Bryant’s very vocal dissatisfaction with his role in the offense. Bryant’s reps requested a trade earlier this month, but the Steelers say they will not part with him between now and the Halloween deadline.
For now, Bryant has been demoted in practice while Justin Hunter takes his reps.
Steelers: We Won’t Trade Martavis Bryant
Martavis Bryant is unhappy with his role in the Steelers’ offense, but the team says he’s not going anywhere. On Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that he is “not available” via trade, adding that the team has invested too much in Bryant to bail on him (Twitter link via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). 
Tomlin’s assertion comes just after Bryant made some very pointed comments to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (Facebook link). Bryant says that he hopes to make things work in Pittsburgh, but he also says that he needs to see an uptick in targets right away.
“By the end of whenever the trade deadline is,” Bryant said when asked about his own personal deadline for a change in the offense. “I mean if things don’t get better, than I got to go.”
Bryant says that he wants to have a bigger role in offense, in part, because of his desire to support his family. Bryant will be eligible for free agency following the 2018 season.
“I feel like it’s going to come down to whether we make changes or not, whether they try to include me more or not. If they don’t try to include me more and continue to do the same thing, then I want out period,” Bryant said. “I love my team. I love my brothers. I love being here. I love the city, but I have a family and everything going on now is about taking care of my family.”
Regardless, the Steelers say they’re sticking with Bryant, even though he took the unusual step of calling out sick on Monday with an illness. The tentative plan is for Bryant to return to the Steelers for Wednesday’s meetings and practice, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link).
Latest On Steelers WR Martavis Bryant
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant — the subject of recent trade rumors — took to social media and responded to an Instagram user who claimed fellow Pittsburgh pass-catcher JuJu Smith-Schuster is the superior wideout, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. Bryant, who has since deleted the post, “wants out” of Pittsburgh, a source tells Fowler.
“JuJu is no where near better than me, fool,” Bryant wrote. “All they need to do is give me what I want and y’all can have JuJu and whoever else.”
Bryant, who is back in the NFL after being suspended for the entirety of the 2016 campaign, reportedly requested a trade last week, although he has since denied that ask. Either way, the Steelers don’t intend to deal Bryant, although he has struggled this season and is being phased out of the club’s offense in favor of Smith-Schuster. Bryant has manged only 234 yards and one touchdown in seven games, and he essentially rotated with Smith-Schuster in Sunday’s victory. Bryant finished with 36 offensive snaps, while Smith-Schuster — a second-round rookie — played 32.
“JuJu is the future and got great talent and is going to be one of the best to play this game,” Bryant wrote after deleting the original post. “I want him to get his. I just want mines, period, point-blank. Ain’t nobody did nothing to get me back. I worked my a– off to get myself back with no help and little support, period. In due time the process will show.”
Bryant didn’t show up for required team meetings Monday, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and one teammate said Bryant “called in sick.” Whether or not Bryant’s absence today is related to his ongoing situation within the offense is unclear, but the timing would certainly hint that the two are interconnected. Bryant’s agent says the wideout did in fact see a doctor today, however, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The Steelers don’t plan on disciplining Bryant for either today’s meeting or his comments on Smith-Schuster, as Bouchette writes in a full piece. And — reiterating previous reports to this effect — Pittsburgh “certainly” doesn’t intend to ship Bryant out of town via trade.
Steelers Collected More Than $90K In Fines
Following the Steelers‘ victory over the Chiefs this past weekend, the team compiled more than $94K in fines, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Mike Mitchell led the way, as the safety was fined more than $48K for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Kansas City running back Charcandrick West. Mitchell picked up another $9K fine for a late hit on quarterback Alex Smith, but the defensive back made it clear that he wasn’t trying to hurt anybody.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Tim Patrick
- Placed on injured list: WR River Cracraft
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Adam Bighill
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: T Jake Rodgers
- Released: WR Justin Thomas
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DT Ondre Pipkins
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Peli Anau
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Nelson Spruce
- Released: LB Jason Thompson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: TE Scott Orndoff
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DB Charlie Miller
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LeShun Daniels
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Jalin Marshall
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Jordan Dangerfield
- Released: S Jacob Hagen
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Josh Forrest
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Andreas Knappe
- Released: OL Jerry Ugokwe
Steelers’ Bryant Denies Trade Demand
Martavis Bryant had only two catches on Sunday, but he found himself in the news when it was reported that he demanded a trade. Soon after, Bryant took to Twitter to say that he is “happy to be a Steeler.” On Monday morning, he specifically denied making a trade request (Twitter link via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
There’s no way to know for sure whether Bryant’s camp did request a trade, but either way it sounds like things have been patched up between the two sides. Bryant’s main gripe was that his role has been downsized in the Steelers’ offense. Starting on Sunday’s game against the Bengals, we may see that change.
Bryant has shown the ability to pick up yards after the catch and at 6’4″ he is also able to pull down passes in the end zone, even in traffic. Between 2014 and 2015, Bryant had 14 touchdowns. Through six games this year, however, he has only one score.
Even if Bryant does push for a deal between now and the deadline, the Steelers do not seem inclined to trade him.