PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant knows he's one wrong move away from wrecking his enormous NFL potential, possibly for good.
Bryant, after his first official Steelers practice in about 16 months as part of OTAs, said he's been clean for "a whole year." Bryant missed the entire 2016 season due to several violations of the league's substance abuse policy.
"I know this is my last chance," Bryant told reporters after Tuesday's session. "I put the right people around me. I have things set up in place for me to succeed and maintain my sobriety. As long as I continue to pass my tests, do what I have to do for my family and take care of my business here, I'll be fine."
Bryant said he gets tested about 2-3 times per week, and his weight is up to 225, about 10 pounds heavier than his playing weight two seasons ago.
Bryant acknowledged he got some first-team reps Tuesday but stressed "I didn't expect anything," simply wanting to coalesce as a team player.
Last offseason, Bryant trained and attended rehab in Henderson, Nevada. Last month, the NFL cleared Bryant for conditional reinstatement, meaning he will be cleared for game-day action once he successfully completes parts of his NFL-administered rehab plan.
"I changed my whole life around compared to how I used to be," Bryant said. "I developed better habits, also who I hang around. I'm a family man. I just had a son (Cali King Alexander Bryant), he's 7 weeks. After here, I'm going straight home to him. It's really me developing my life and getting back on track."
Bryant enters the receiver fold with Antonio Brown, third-year receiver Sammie Coates, slot receiver Eli Rogers, second-round pick JuJu Smith-Schuster and others.
The Steelers are expecting big things from Bryant after he produced 15 touchdowns in his first 21 NFL games. When the team drafted Smith-Schuster 62nd overall last month, Bryant tweeted that Smith-Schuster was replacing Coates, not him, to which Coates issued a laughter response. Coach Mike Tomlin tweeted at both players, telling them to be nice.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said last offseason that he was disappointed in Bryant, who is prepared to repair any fractured relationships. He calls Roethlisberger "still like my brother" and figures the two will talk in-depth soon. As for the Coates slight, Bryant said he meant no harm.
"Nah, it was just a little friendly competition," Bryant said. "He's still my brother. So we just did it out of love for each other."
Many players are welcoming Bryant back without any issues. Linebacker Bud Dupree joked Bryant "is big now" in the upper body while maintaining his high-level speed.
"Everybody make mistakes," Dupree said. "If you haven't been through some adversity in your life ... you probably haven't tried to do anything. He learned, everybody else learn. ... We will keep moving on."