Former Pittsburgh Steelers WR Martavis Bryant is back in the NFL. After being reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell over the weekend, Bryant is reportedly signing a contract with the Dallas Cowboys. That’s according to Shams Charania, usually a basketball insider but scooping some football news. Bryant has not played in the NFL since 2018.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, Bryant is signing with the Cowboys’ practice squad.
Bryant looked like a star for the Steelers with an incredible combination of size and speed. But repeated suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy because of his marijuana usage led to three NFL suspensions, the one in 2018 an indefinite punishment.
In 36 games with the Steelers, Bryant caught 126 passes for nearly 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging a healthy 15.7 yards per reception. As a rookie who played in just 10 contests, he caught eight touchdowns, including six in his first four NFL games.
Pittsburgh traded Bryant to the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018, netting a third-round pick in return. It proved to be a fantastic deal with the Steelers. Bryant was initially released by the Raiders, unproductive when he was signed back, and then suspended by the league in December. With Oakland, he caught only 19 passes with zero touchdowns.
Since exiting the NFL in 2018, he’s bounced around between the CFL, Indoor Football Leagues, and most recently he spent time with the XFL’s Vegas Vipers during the spring. Though he didn’t have a productive year, he used that time to get back into football shape. He obviously impressed enough during his workout for the Cowboys to sign him. The fact the NFL has rolled back its marijuana policy — players are no longer suspended for it — also played a key role in his reinstatement and signing today.
