Ben Roethlisberger Comments on Martavis Bryant's Suspension, Steelers Offense

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is "disappointed" in his No. 2 wide receiver.

Martavis Bryant was suspended for at least a year because he violated the NFL’s drug policy. It was his fifth time doing so in less than a two-year span, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and he will not take the field in 2016 as a result.

“I reached out to him a lot when it came to the off-the-field stuff the first time around. It was very disappointing, and we will miss him. … He was a big weapon for us, obviously. He is one of the best and had a chance to be one of the best in the NFL. He was growing and getting better. It hurts,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday.

Bryant missed the first four games of the Steelers’ 2015 campaign because of a failed test as well, although he managed to rack up 765 receiving yards and six touchdown catches in a mere 11 contests. He posted 549 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches during 10 games as a rookie and boasts immense potential with a combination of speed (4.42-second 40-yard dash) and size (6’4”).

He can high-point passes in the end zone, outleap defensive backs on jump balls and blow past cornerbacks in press-coverage situations.

Even with all that talent, Roethlisberger has never shied away from pushing the receiver to be his best. The quarterback challenged him this offseason to become an even more dangerous threat when he appeared on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh (via Dan Hanzus of NFL.com):

"Now let's see what level you step to next. I'm already talking to him about the offseason, what he needs to do to take that next step. I told him, 'this offseason, you need to become the best in the world.'"

The signal-caller also urged Bryant to step it up at the end of the 2015 season on KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com): "It comes from love. He needs to understand that...at this time of year you have to toughen up. You have to make tough plays, you have to make tough catches and you have to find ways to do everything you can to help this team."

The silver lining for the Steelers offense is the fact it still has plenty of playmakers to fill the void. Wide receiver Markus Wheaton tallied 749 receiving yards and five touchdown catches last season, while Darrius Heyward-Bey posted 314 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Roethlisberger will likely look toward second-year pass-catcher Sammie Coates as well. He only finished with a single catch for 11 yards in 2015, but he will see additional opportunities in his second year with Bryant sidelined.

All three of those receivers will also face single coverage most of the year because Antonio Brown (who was second in the NFL with 1,834 receiving yards in 2015) will draw the lion’s share of the defensive attention when Roethlisberger drops back to throw. Some even see Brown as the league's best receiver:

With so much firepower at his disposal even without Bryant, Roethlisberger said averaging 30 points per game "is still our goal," per Kaboly.

Kaboly noted the Steelers still managed to scored 26.4 points per game last season despite the fact Roethlisberger missed all or parts of seven games, running back Le’Veon Bell missed the last two months and center Maurkice Pouncey didn’t play the entire campaign. What's more, offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum only appeared in six contests, and Bryant missed five.

Despite the depth-chart adversity, the Steelers finished 10-6 and reached the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. Bryant or no Bryant, Pittsburgh has enough talent on offense to put up even better numbers in 2016 if everyone stays healthy.