JuJu Smith-Schuster excelled in his opportunity to replace Martavis Bryant, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are sticking with the frustrated receiver in Week 10.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the team “indicated to Bryant” that he’s part of the game plan against the Indianapolis Colts, which follows an upcoming bye week.
Pittsburgh cannot make up its mind, apparently.
Head coach Mike Tomlin recently said he wasn’t confident the 25-year-old would help the offense down the stretch. That didn’t come as a huge surprise, considering the Steelers relegated Bryant to the scout team and benched him for a week.
In his place, Smith-Schuster amassed 193 yards and one touchdown on seven catches, tying Antonio Brown for a team-high 10 targets. That performance led to renewed speculation about Pittsburgh moving Bryant prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline despite Tomlin previously saying it wouldn’t happen.
Fowler’s report, however, suggests the Steelers still have some faith in Bryant, who has managed 18 catches for 234 yards and one touchdown in seven appearances.
Bryant has already indicated he’ll leave following the 2018 season if his role doesn’t increase, though Pittsburgh could cut him after 2017. Either way, this seems like a roller coaster destined for a few more ups and downs before the campaign ends.