Martavis Bryant Becoming Steelers' Newest Weapon at Exactly Right Time

For the first half of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense was a three-man affair consisting of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown. 

The trio has proved effective, but a three-man offense is limiting. Yes, the Steelers have tight end Heath Miller to assist in moving the chains, and receiver Markus Wheaton was handed the No. 2 wideout job on a platter after Emmanuel Sanders left in free agency. Lance Moore was also added to work as the slot receiver but with not much to show for it.

The offense was good but not great—and predictable in the red zone because the only true threats to opposing defenses were Bell's running or Brown's catching. Something was missing. 

That something? It appears to be rookie receiver Martavis Bryant, whom the Steelers selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft.

Bryant has been active and playing for just the Steelers' past two games. And it's not a coincidence that the Steelers won convincingly in both. The addition of Bryant gives them a chance to get more creative on offense because of what Bryant brings to the table. 

Bryant, at 6'4", is the tall receiver Roethlisberger has been pining for for years. Bryant is also fast and has an impressive vertical leap. He also comes with a history of dropping passes in college at Clemson, and he's dropped one so far this year in what would have been a 77-yard touchdown in Sunday's 51-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

But the drop can be forgiven because of what else he's done in the past two games. Against the Houston Texans, Bryant had two catches on five targets for 40 yards and a touchdown, with a long reception of 35 yards. He was even better against the Colts, with five catches on seven targets for 83 yards and two touchdowns, with a long reception of 52 yards.

The two performances give him an average of 17.6 yards per reception. His three touchdowns are the second-most any Steelers player has scored this year behind Brown's seven. And the fact that he's done this in two games means his playing time will only increase. 

Bryant's snaps rose from 24 in Week 7 to 33 in Week 8, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That's just one fewer snap than Wheaton had in Week 8. Though the rookie is still raw, that snap total doesn't bode well for Wheaton retaining the No. 2 receiver job for long.

Tgts.	Rec.	Rec. %	Yds.	YPR	YPG	TD	YAC	Drop	Snaps
12	7	58.3%	123	17.6	61.5	3	22	1	57

That, of course, will depend on how quickly Bryant's mastery of the offense progresses. Head coach Mike Tomlin conceded to ESPN.com's Scott Brown that Bryant is still being eased in, saying, "We're playing package football with him. He's got to continue to work every day and round out all elements of his game."

That's reflected in how his snaps have broken down: Of the 57 he's played on offense, 39 have been on passing downs while only 18 have been in run blocking. His sole job at the moment appears to be giving Roethlisberger more options in the passing game. In a limited sample size, however, he seems to be doing well at work.

Prior to Week 7, the Steelers were having significant trouble scoring when in the red zone, earning touchdowns only 36.84 percent of the time. With the addition of Bryant, the Steelers' red-zone touchdown percentage is now at 50 percent. On a related note, Bryant's two touchdowns in Week 8 were both red-zone scores.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Bryant's presence on the field also means good things for Brown, the NFL's No. 2 player in receiving yardage. Bryant is a scoring threat. Wheaton is not, with just one touchdown on the year and only 69 yards after the catch despite having 29 catches thus far for 333 yards.

Defenses can commit resources to Brown and only give a cursory amount of attention to Wheaton. This is not the case when Bryant is on the field, now that he's scored three times in a two-game span.

This fact is not lost on Roethlisberger, who said to ESPN.com's Brown:

"

The more [Bryant] plays the more A.B. is going to benefit from it because he is a threat. We'll just continue to develop him. I think the key is not to do too much, just keep him right where he is and keep making plays.

"

Offensive creativity is something the Steelers and coordinator Todd Haley lacked through the team's first six weeks. It was also something they desperately needed, especially with a close race for the AFC North's top spot shaping up—all four teams in the division have a winning record.

Cincinnati Bengals	4-2-1
Baltimore Ravens	5-3
Pittsburgh Steelers	5-3
Cleveland Browns	4-3

Bryant helps the Steelers up the creativity factor, which could help them separate from the pack and pull ahead during the team's playoff push in the second half of the season. Of the Steelers' remaining opponents, all but one—the Kansas City Chiefs—ranks 14th or worse in passing yards per game allowed currently.

Brown could certainly reap the greatest rewards of that looming slate of defenses, but Bryant will also benefit. And Bryant's presence will help Brown and vice versa. 

It's often difficult for a rookie wide receiver to make a significant impact in his first season. It's a complicated position where rawness is amplified. It's why the Steelers have packaged plays for Bryant and why he's playing 33 snaps in a game. 

But even in limited usage, Bryant has proved to be a force for the Steelers. The added height and speed he provides the passing game fills a major void, and his playmaking ability is hard to deny based on what we've seen thus far. 

As he gets more comfortable, expect Bryant's on-field time to increase. And if he keeps playing as he has in his previous two games, the Steelers offense gets that much more dangerous at the exact time they need to make a push to contend.