Having played his last down of football in Week 10 of the 2018 season, wide receiver Martavis Bryant is making a comeback.
The Dallas Cowboys are signing Bryant to their practice squad, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday.
A 2014 NFL Draft fourth-round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers who last played for the Raiders, Bryant was indefinitely suspended by the NFL in December of 2018 for violation of the terms of his conditional reinstatement from a previous ban in which he was suspended for the duration of the 2016 season for multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Saturday that Bryant had recently been reinstated by Commissioner Roger Goodell and subsequently reported Monday that the wideout was headed to Dallas for a workout.
Never ones to shy away from taking a flier, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are signing Bryant to see what he’s got left in the tank and if he can stay on the straight and narrow.
The 6-foot-4 Bryant showcased big-play ability and a nose for the end zone over his first two seasons with the Steelers from 2014-2015 with a combined 14 touchdowns, including a 94-yarder as a rookie.
However, Bryant was suspended four games to begin the 2015 campaign for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Despite missing time, he turned in his most impressive season statistically with 50 receptions for 765 yards and seven total touchdowns.
After his full-season 2016 suspension, Bryant played one last year with the Steelers before he was acquired via trade by the Raiders. Bryant posted just 19 catches for 266 yards and no touchdowns in eight games with the 2018 Raiders.
Suspended from the NFL since that year, Bryant is now 31 and played this past summer for the Vegas Vipers of the XFL.
Obviously impressed enough in Tuesday’s workout to give Bryant a spot on the practice squad, the Cowboys are hoping they’ve got a comeback story on their hands.