Martavis Bryant made one of the more remarkable catches in NFL postseason history in the playoffs after the 2015 season.
He maintained possession of a Ben Roethlisberger pass in the corner of the end zone as Cincinnati cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick swiped at the ball, palming it in his right hand and pinning it against his legs as he got both feet down before doing a flip out of the end zone. That prompted Roethlisberger to gush about Bryant after the Steelers' 18-16 win, "He doesn't have any idea how good he can be."
Roethlisberger took that a step further the next week when he said he was certain Bryant had his drug problems behind him and that Bryant was on his way to becoming one of the NFL's best wide receivers.
That was before Bryant had a major marijuana relapse and was suspended for the 2016 season.
That was before Roethlisberger said publicly that he felt betrayed by Bryant and all but accused Bryant of lying to him.
That was before the Steelers played most of the 2016 season with one dependable receiver, the great Antonio Brown.
Now, Bryant gets another chance with his conditional reinstatement by the NFL.
"I know I'm on my last chance," Bryant told Sports Illustrated in January.
We'll see.
Bryant has promised that he's a new man, a more mature man, a clean man. He has said he has tightened his circle of friends to help him avoid temptation. He has said he has worked out like never before. He has said he will make amends, not just with Roethlisberger, his other teammates, coaches, the Steelers organization and its fans but also with his mother, who raised him as a single parent. "I owe everything to her," Bryant said in that Sports Illustrated article.
Again, we'll see.
There's no question the Steelers will be a much better team with a much stronger offense if Bryant is right. It's not just that catch against the Bengals. It's his 95 career catches, including playoffs, for 1,558 yards and 16 touchdowns in 24 games. Roethlisberger had the same big-play chemistry with Bryant that he did with Mike Wallace.
Put Bryant with Brown and you have a terrific one-two punch. Throw in Sammie Coates, who has the potential to be a strong third receiver. I know I'm one of the few people in town who hasn't given up on Coates, but I remember his first five games last season when he had catches of 72, 53, 47, 44, 42 and 41 yards before a variety of injuries _ perhaps none more hurtful than one to his confidence _ ruined the rest of his year. I saw enough to refuse to believe he can't be really good again.
We'll find out during this weekend's NFL draft just how much the Steelers believe in Bryant staying clean and Coates bouncing back. Picking a wide receiver _ or not picking one _ with one of their first four picks in the first two days of the draft will be instructive.
Bryant had no bigger supporter than Roethlisberger when he was at a Houston rehabilitation facility during his four-game drug suspension at the start of the 2015 season. Roethlisberger texted or called every day to keep Bryant's spirits up and to let him know he still was a part of the Steelers. "It meant a lot to me," Bryant said later in 2015. "I started crying and everything because it meant a lot for him to show that he cared."
The guess here is Bryant will win back Roethlisberger rather quickly as long as he does everything right. At this point of Roethlisberger's Hall of Fame-caliber career, with time running out, he cares only about winning. He is smart enough to know Bryant can help him do it. He might not forget the betrayal, but he will get past it in a hurry.
Not that Bryant is worried about it.
"What happened, happened. What's done is done," Bryant told Sports Illustrated. "There's nothing for me to say. Just move on and show with my actions. They'll see on the field."
Bryant is right.
We really will see.
