With wide receiver Martavis Bryant set to miss the entire 2016 NFL season due to a suspension, the importance of the Pittsburgh Steelers keeping Antonio Brown on the field for next season has risen to sky scraping heights. As the Steelers leading receiver in each of the past three seasons, it is essential that Pittsburgh does everything it possibly can to prevent Brown from missing any time due to an injury in 2016.

Last year, Brown accounted for 38 percent of Pittsburgh’s regular season receiving yards. Given the large part of what he does for the Steelers offensive production, the time may be now to end his role as the team’s punt returner.

Brown has been returning punts for Pittsburgh since he entered the league in 2010. He has returned a punt for a touchdown in each of the past three seasons, however, his average yards per return has also been descending during that same time span.

Even though he has caught a league-leading 265 passes in the last two years, the Steelers could possibly see Brown’s production reach even greater heights next season if he were to no longer return punts.

In 2015 (including the playoffs), Brown was sent back to receive a punt 59 times. On the down immediately following each of those punts, Pittsburgh only threw the ball in Brown’s direction on 11 of those plays.

So for 81 percent of the first down plays the Steelers ran immediately after Brown lined up to return a punt, the offense chose to not involve one of the best players on their team. Perhaps, Pittsburgh not involving him in these particular plays was a way in which to give him an opportunity to catch his breath following his duties as the team’s punt returner.

The Steelers did briefly attempt to find a different solution for returning punts when they brought in wide receiver Jacoby Jones during the middle of last season. However, Jones production as Pittsburgh’s primary return specialist was less than stellar and his role with the team only lasted four games.

The Steelers bringing in Jones last season does indeed show that they are at least attempting to no longer have Brown returning punts. As for the current offseason, it should not come as a surprise if the team were to try and do something similar before the start of the upcoming season.

By not having Brown return punts, Pittsburgh could also be lowering the injury risk of their star wide receiver. Yes there is always a high chance of injury given the level of play and physicality in the NFL, but a team must almost always take the opportunity to lower the injury risk for one of their franchise’s most essential players.

The Jacoby Jones experiment last season did not go as planned for the Steelers, but that should not deter them from finding a new punt returner for 2016 should it? Whatever they choose, the risk of a new return man for next season seems to be outweighed by the potential reward of having their top receiver in Brown becoming even more dangerous.