Steelers wideout Martavis Bryant isn't walking through the team facility door in Pittsburgh before the AFC Championship Game, but he has at least laid the groundwork for a comeback next season in 2017.
According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Bryant applied for reinstatement last week. He is currently suspended for multiple violations of the league's policy against substances of abuse.
The league announced back in March of 2016 that Bryant would be out for a minimum of one season without pay. At the time, Bryant's agent called the wideout's drug use a "coping" and "depression" issue in an interview with USA Today.
Applying for reinstatement is just the first step, of course. The league does not have a definite timetable for solving these cases and it could be a while before we see Ben Roethlisberger's favorite No. 2 wide receiver hit the field. Bryant last played in a game on Jan. 3, 2016. The 25-year-old former fourth-round pick out of Clemson has yet to play more than 11 games in a season. This would have been his third year in the NFL.
