Steelers WR Martavis Bryant Bulked up 20 pounds to be better in traffic

Martavis Bryant earned his place in the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense last season when he was able to score eight touchdowns despite missing the first six games of the season and having to climb the depth chart.

Bryant's frame at 6-feet 4-inches, 205-pounds was pretty tall and thin. His explosiveness and speed were his biggest strengths in his rookie campaign with Pittsburgh, but he knows he needs to do more to continue to improve.

While improving his skills, Bryant took this offseason to bulk up his frame, and he did just that.

Jeremy Fowler from ESPN reports that Bryant packed on 20-pounds going into the 2015 season as part of his plan to become a better player. As you can imagine, the budding star wide receiver didn't gain the weight by traveling to fast food restaurants for every meal.

When asked what he did, Bryant was quick to point to a solid method; "Steak," said Bryant. "Steak all the time."

Bryant added that after every workout this offseason, whether at his home in South Carolina or in Pittsburgh, Bryant made sure to have a protein shake and a steak. Part of the reasoning to do this might be to counter his insane metabolism.

"I eat basically whatever I want and I don't gain much body fat, so it's pretty cool," Bryant responded on his eating habits.

Being bigger and stronger could make it better for Bryant to fight for jump balls in traffic and get off of jams against cornerbacks, as he did in the team's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars when he stiff-armed Davon House and simply ran by him for a 44-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger. Bryant mostly beat people last season with his intense acceleration and being able to get out of his breaks while maintaining a high speed in the secondary. Adding the ability to win more fights at the line of scrimmage and struggles in mid-air only helps his game.

Fans have already seen he still has speed and explosiveness with that touchdown in the preseason against Jacksonville.  The hope is in 2015 we not only see the same Bryant we did in 2014, but a new and improved Bryant.