LATROBE, Pa. -- Martavis Bryant is hard to miss as he catches passes on an auxiliary field. The Pittsburgh Steelers' lanky playmaker has been relegated to running deep routes by himself while the rest of the team practices.

Bryant's conditional NFL reinstatement could be lifted any day now as he waits for his 2017 rehabilitation schedule to be approved. The schedule will detail when and how he meets with counselors. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says Bryant has "paid his dues" and should now be with his teammates.

ESPN Staff Writer Martavis Bryant bringing down a catch on an auxiliary field while James Harrison watches.

Roethlisbergrer also knows that Bryant brings a different dimension to the offense. Sure, he has been intrigued by the versatile weapons in the Steelers' receiving corps, particularly new addition Justin Hunter.

"But Martavis is a little bit of a different animal out there," Roethlisberger said.

Wednesday marked the first day that second-round pick JuJu Smith-Schuster returned to a padded practice after suffering a minor lower body injury. The rookie is eager to see Bryant provide a boost to an already explosive group.

"He's going to be a great asset to our team," Smith-Schuster said. "As soon as he comes back and we get all the guys back together, we're going to have an unstoppable team."

With Sammie Coates out, Hunter has gotten an extended look on the outside with the first-team offense. Veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey is also getting some reps in that spot. Hunter is keeping the starting role warm for Bryant, making several high-leaping, athletic catches early in camp.

"I don't want to get too excited too early, but I really like the presence he brings," Roethlisberger said.

Bryant and Hunter give Roethlisberger two 6-foot-4 targets who can stretch the field. Roethlisberger likes the mismatch potential, as well as the accuracy boost.

"Some people are more accurate when you have big guys," he said.

A few other notes from Steelers practice Wednesday: