With the trade deadline having passed and Martavis Bryant, as expected, still part of the team, the Steelers will move forward with the troubled wide receiver in their plans.
Though Mike Tomlin said he wasn't sure Bryant could help the team down the stretch in the moments after the Steelers defeated Detroit, 20-15, last Sunday, the team refused some last-ditch trade offers and are moving forward with the receiver.
"Martavis can really help us," said defensive end Stephon Tuitt.
How much so remains up to Bryant.
Bryant was benched against the Lions by Tomlin for improper use of social media. At the center of the issue was a post on Instagram in which Bryant said he was better than teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster, a post he later deleted.
Smith-Schuster, a rookie, started in place of Bryant against the Lions and caught seven passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a 97-yard catch-and-run that set a team record for longest pass play.
Smith-Schuster now has 24 receptions for 424 yards and a team-best four touchdowns. Bryant has 18 receptions for 234 yards and one touchdown after missing all of last season while suspended for violation of the league's substance abuse policy.
His agent had previously asked the Steelers for a trade.
One of the teams that contacted the Steelers regarding Bryant, according to the NFL Network, was the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo later made a deal with Carolina for receiver Kelvin Benjamin for third- and seventh-round draft picks in 2018.