Martavis Bryant’s return to the NFL was relatively brief. Signed to the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad in early November, the Cowboys released him Thursday in a shakeup of the team’s practice squad. Reporter Nick Harris shared the news a short time ago.
Following multiple suspensions, Bryant was reinstated by the NFL in 2023. Quickly gaining NFL interest, he worked out for and signed with the Cowboys on Nov. 6. But he stayed on the practice squad during his stint with Dallas, never elevated or signed to the 53-man roster. Now, he’s a free agent.
Bryant, 32, did draw interest from at least one other team prior to signing with Dallas. Reportedly, the Tennessee Titans had a workout scheduled with him, but he signed with the Cowboys before that occurred.
Selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Bryant’s combination of size and athleticism was rare. As a rookie, he caught eight touchdowns on just 26 catches, following that up with a 50-reception, 765-yard, and five-touchdown sophomore campaign. But he was suspended multiple times by the league for violating its substance abuse policy. Now, that’s less of an issue as the league has relaxed its marijuana policy.
Pittsburgh traded Bryant to the Raiders ahead of the 2018 season for a third-round draft pick. It was a disaster of a deal for the Raiders, Bryant appearing in only eight games and catching 19 passes before being indefinitely suspended in December. After falling out of the league, he bounced around the CFL (though he never played), an indoor football league, and was recently with the XFL’s Vegas Vipers in the spring, though he struggled to be productive. Still, his skill set had NFL teams interested and perhaps he can try to catch on somewhere else on a Futures contract in the offseason.
In his NFL career, Bryant has caught 145 passes for 2,183 yards and 17 touchdowns.
