Return of Steelers WR Martavis Bryant Big for QB Mike Vick

Though Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant was eligible to be activated for the team's fifth regular-season game, having served his four-game suspension to open the year, he was not on the 53-man roster at the time.

But he is now, having been activated by the team earlier this week. And the timing couldn't be better. The skills that Bryant bring to the table should be a big help to current Steelers starting quarterback Mike Vick.

In 2014, he appeared in only 10 games, but his impact was felt in a major way. Though he caught only 26 passes on 49 targets, those catches earned him—and thus the Steelers—549 yards of offense and eight touchdowns. He was a proven deep threat, averaging 21.1 yards per reception. And that's where he'll help out Vick the most.

Tgts.	Rec.	Rec.%	Yds.	YPR	YAC	TD
49	26	54.2%	549	21.1	164	8

Though the Steelers have been taking a conservative approach with Vick as a passer, it cannot be denied that he still possesses a big arm, as evidenced by the 72-yard touchdown pass he threw to Markus Wheaton in Week 5. With Bryant on the field, the Steelers may be more comfortable with Vick taking more deep-field chances. 

Bryant and Vick have been connecting on deep passes in practice this week, and the Steelers tweeted out the evidence on Thursday. If this can be recreated on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, the Steelers will have an added dimension to their offense.

This is key, because Vick's passing, when it happens, has been predictable. It's not the same offense with Ben Roethlisberger sidelined with a knee injury, but that doesn't mean that the Steelers and coordinator Todd Haley cannot mix things up in order to get the most out of Vick and his many offensive resources.

Vick and Antonio Brown may not be on the same page, but Bryant's presence both mitigates that by adding another high-impact target for the quarterback and could also help draw coverage away from Brown, allowing Vick to connect with the Steelers' best receiver.

Not only that, but the 6'4" Bryant makes for a large and obvious end-zone target for Vick. It's hard to miss a player so tall. And given that Vick is still hesitant to throw to Brown even when in man coverage, he may be more comfortable doing so with Bryant, if only because his size may be something Vick sees as a matchup advantage.

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

More than anything, though, is that the return of Bryant makes things that much better for the Steelers this week, regardless of who the quarterback is. One more field-stretching receiver means another player Arizona's defense must plan for, and it's something that the Steelers have lacked. Darrius Heyward-Bey stepped in admirably, but admittedly, he's no Bryant in terms of his game-changing ability.

Making Vick's life easier is definitely something the Steelers want to do. And getting Bryant back on the field is one way to do so. All Vick has to do is get Bryant the ball, and he'll do the rest.