Steelers need to cut the cord and move on from Bryant
The Pittsburgh Steelers' honor and team-first mentality have been integral in making them one of the most successful and prestigious franchises in all of North American sports.
But sometimes it's best just to swallow your pride.
The situation between the Steelers and receiver Martavis Bryant has devolved in such a way that it can be blamed on one thing: Pittsburgh's aforementioned stubborn, team-first attitude.
Ever since Bryant reportedly first asked to be traded, the organization's front office has repeatedly stated it "will not trade a player just because he asked."
Related - Rooney: We're not looking to trade Martavis Bryant
Related - Tomlin: Bryant not available in trade
In most cases, that's a pretty good policy for a team to have. Once players realize they can call their own shots, a team can lose control in a hurry. In the case of the Steelers, however, it won't make things any better.
Bryant clearly hasn't responded well to the Steelers balking at his request, with him taking a shot at a fellow receiver on Instagram before publicly stating "I got to go" if things don't change.
Related - Report: Unhappy Bryant 'called in sick' for required Steelers meetings
Teammates haven't shown a ton of support for Bryant's desire to put himself in a better situation, particularly quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. While serving a one-year suspension in 2016 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, Bryant was thrown under the bus by Roethlisberger. And things haven't gotten better since Bryant's return.
"I'm not going to be a doctor and promise I'm going to save your life," Roethlisberger said Wednesday in reference to throwing Bryant more passes. "I'm going to tell him, 'If you're on your details and we're working together and I trust that you're going to be where we're supposed to be and you're there, good things will happen.'"
Roethlisberger appears fine without No. 10, as the Steelers' offense has played its finest football over the past two contests, despite Bryant making just three catches. With arguably the league's best running back-wide receiver duo in Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown getting serious help from rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, Bryant's role is far from crucial.
Demoting Bryant to the practice squad is just a public slap in the face, essentially punishing him by sitting him in the corner with a dunce cap on instead of just moving on by trading or cutting him.
Understandably, it may be difficult to trade Bryant due to his attitude and suspension history, but with Tuesday's trade deadline looming, the Steelers are going to have to figure out a way to either trade him or cut him loose while eating the remaining $109,805 left on his contract.
Allowing Bryant to leave wouldn't do much damage to the Steelers' on-field product, but it would alleviate stress in the locker room and front office, not to mention doing right by the player. If they aren't going to play him, let him play somewhere else and let everyone move on with their lives.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
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