The Pittsburgh Steelers made their preseason debut with a 20-12 road win over the New York Giants on Friday night, but the return of wide receiver Martavis Bryant might be just as anticipated.
Bryant, reinstated for preseason work Wednesday, sat out of the game as expected. But he participated in Thursday's closed practice session, and he'll be flying down the sideline during Sunday's open practice at St. Vincent College.
"We're going to put our foot on the gas and proceed," said coach Mike Tomlin to KDKA-TV at halftime of the Giants game. "He's physically ready. We've gotten the go-ahead from New York [NFL office]. We got him in a stringent workout and warm-up tonight. We didn't deem it was appropriate because of lack of prep to play in this game. He'll start like the rest of them when we get back to Latrobe and continue with development."
Bryant's return to a depleted position will be welcome. JuJu Smith-Schuster was evaluated for a concussion Friday, joining receivers Justin Hunter, Sammie Coates and Demarcus Ayers on the injured list. Bryant -- who's under conditional reinstatement for multiple drug offenses -- has looked beastly working out on an auxiliary field during the past week.
Now he takes the field with teammates for a week of practice and his first game action since 2015 when the Steelers host the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 20.
Even if running back Le'Veon Bell skips that game, Bryant is a nice consolation until Bell returns.
Bryant told reporters after the game it "felt great to be back in a stadium, period."
"I worked hard and I'm just happy the process is almost over," said Bryant, according to a transcript from the New York Giants. "When my time comes, I will be ready to take advantage of my opportunities."
