Rookie Martavis Bryant Emerging as Explosive Weapon for Steelers Offense

It is better late than never, I suppose. What am I talking about? I am talking about Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant breaking out as a budding star.

In Sunday’s 51-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Bryant showed a complete game that begs the question, “What took so long?”

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

For reasons that have yet to be fully explained, Bryant spent the first six games of the season inactive and not on the active roster. During that six-game stretch, the Steelers struggled mightily to generate any red-zone offense.

Moving the football wasn’t a problem, but in those six games before Bryant's arrival, the offense averaged 20.6 points per game. In the last two games with Bryant in the lineup, Pittsburgh has averaged 40.5 points per game.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

If you have been a fan of the Steelers for any amount of time, you have come to understand that it is far from a given that a rookie will find their way onto the field.

This flies in the face of the number of rookies we're seeing on the field for other NFL teams this season.

You can simply flip through the channels and see just how many young players are making significant contributions to their team.

In terms of wide receivers, this rookie class has been very talented. According to DraftSeason, seven rookie wide receivers had at least 20 receptions going into Week 8.

In Sunday’s game, Bryant put on a show.

Yes, there was a lot of offense to go around—639 total yards, to be exact—but for a young man with only two weeks of practice with the team, he looked like a seasoned veteran. Bryant finished the game with five receptions for 83 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

"

Martavis Bryant, kids. It's 41-20, and the rookie's got five catches for 83 yards and two TDs.

— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) October 26, 2014"

Whether it's by pulling the top off a secondary with his size and deep speed or utilizing his length and quickness in the red zone to create natural mismatches, Bryant is a weapon.

Don Wright/Associated Press

On Bryant’s first touchdown catch of the day, the Steelers line him up inside. Colts cornerback Josh Gordy is shading outside. That’s smart for two reasons.

First, he has to be concerned with the fade to the corner. It makes sense when you consider that Bryant is 6’4” and Gordy is only 5’11”. He also assumes he has help on the inside from safety Mike Adams.

However, it all goes just too fast for either of them at the snap. Bryant makes a great inside move, Gordy is caught flat-footed and Adams never has a chance to get there in time.

"

STEELERS AGAIN!! Martavis Bryant with the touchdown reception from Big Ben. Pittsburgh up 14-3.

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 26, 2014"

This play sets up Bryant’s second touchdown. Once again, Gordy has drawn the short straw and this time it is on the outside. He doesn’t have any outside help, so he wants to press Bryant.

Bryant just extends at the snap and muscles around Gordy. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger makes a great play and Bryant shows tremendous concentration to reel in the catch.

"

Clemson's Martavis Bryant caught 2 TD passes during today's 7-on-7 drills with the Colts and Steelers. (USA Today) pic.twitter.com/D7mf3Z83vm

— Reggie Anderson (@ReggieWLTX) October 27, 2014"

And all this doesn’t even mention the 52-yard reception Bryant got when he just blew past cornerback Darius Butler off the snap. Again, Bryant’s size and serious deep speed—NFL.com indicates he ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine—are just too much for the smaller, slower cornerback.

The Steelers' coaching staff has made some questionable decisions this season, but none more questionable than the one to keep Bryant on the shelf as long as it did.

The future is now, and the future is Bryant.

All player and game stats courtesy of NFL.com.