By Chris Mueller
October 31, 2017
Martavis Bryant #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs upfield after a catch in the first quarter during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Heinz Field on October 8, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Kelvin Benjamin was traded, but he’s no Bryant. Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert and company know what they have in their gifted receiver
A third and a seventh rounder. That’s what it took for the Buffalo Bills to pry Kelvin Benjamin from the Carolina Panthers. Benjamin is no ordinary wide receiver, either. At 6′5 and 235 pounds, he’s a big, physical target. He has 18 touchdowns in two and a half seasons in the NFL. Kelvin Benjamin is a difference-maker.
That said, he isn’t Martavis Bryant. Not close. Benjamin is a physical specimen, a man with first-round pedigree, but he has appeared in 40 games and has 18 touchdowns to his credit. Bryant, with an NFL career that has been sidetracked by a full season suspension and a tumultuous 2017, has 15 touchdowns in 28 games, only 12 of which have been starts. Those numbers don’t lie.
Benjamin might have the pedigree, but Bryant is a different sort of talent altogether. Kelvin Benjamin commands attention from opposing defenses. Martavis Bryant commands fear and respect. That fear and that respect, the threat of what Martavis Bryant can do if not paid proper respect, is why the Steelers were so wise to keep him through Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline.
Not that there weren’t interested parties, of course. The Bills inquired. So did the Patriots.
Whenever New England expresses interest in acquiring a player, it is reason enough for those around the league to take notice. The Steelers, clearly, know what they have in Bryant, despite his public unhappiness and relative lack of production this season.
Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert know what Bryant provides. They know the threat conveyed by his mere presence. If there is one thing defensive coordinators hate, it is being torched for big plays. It’s why so many teams still risk losses by playing the prevent defense when they have a late lead. No one likes getting beat deep. No one likes getting humiliated. Every time Martavis Bryant steps on the field, he represents the grave threat of embarrassment.
You don’t just give up a guy like that because he’s unhappy. You don’t give up on a guy like that because the going gets bumpy for a little bit.
The Kansas City Chiefs knew. Frequently, they assigned Marcus Peters, their best cover corner, to Bryant. They did this even though Antonio Brown was on the other side of the field. They did this even though Brown, not Bryant, is just about universally recognized as the best wide receiver on the planet. Brown delivers death by a thousand cuts. The destruction Brown wreaks, while all-encompassing in sum, is surgical, and at times gradual.
Brown’s dominance, though it will someday land him in the Hall of Fame as one of the absolute best to play his position regardless of era, is the kind that can be admired one piece at a time. His big plays seem to spring forth from the void. They are as sudden and unexpected as they are amazing. Bryant, by comparison, looms every time he splits out wide. Everyone, from the team managers to the fan in the last row, knows who he is and what he represents.
Teams know that while Brown is the best in the business, Bryant is just as devastating, if not more, when left unchecked, or in the hands of mere mortals. Even the best the other team has to offer often isn’t enough.
Though his social media tantrums have been frustrating, though his agent seems incapable of providing good advice, Bryant is the kind of player that can turn wins into losses. He’s the kind of player that can keep even a venerable mind like Bill Belichick up at night. After all, how does one go about stopping someone that has no physical equal? Put Bryant one on one against every corner in the league, and if the ball is thrown properly, he wins 95 out of 100 times.
Put simply, Martavis Bryant is the kind of player that makes the ultimate difference. His teammates have said he’s been a consummate professional behind the scenes, his missteps only coming in the public eye. They have praised his work ethic, his enthusiasm. That’s enough for me.
The Steelers were right to keep Martavis Bryant. The guess here is that their gamble, if it even qualifies as one, will be handsomely rewarded — maybe even in early February.
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