Bringing in Martavis Bryant as a flier who could potentially help as a supporting-caster late last season, the Cowboys never ended up activating the ex-Steelers starter.
Despite signing the formerly suspended wideout in early November, the Cowboys ultimately did not view Bryant as ready to contribute. The team gave Bryant a reserve/futures contract in January, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes the team is releasing him Wednesday.
[RELATED: Cowboys To Meet With WR Zay Jones]
Bryant’s stock has not approached the level that once featured him being traded for a third-round pick, as the 6-foot-4 weapon has not played in a regular-season game since 2018. But Pelissero adds other teams have shown interest. While it would not necessarily surprise to see Bryant given another opportunity, he is running out of time to reignite his NFL career at age 32.
The NFL reinstated Bryant from a yearslong suspension on November 4, 2023. This came years after the NFL loosened its drug policy — which led Bryant out of the league in the late 2010s — to cut down on suspensions for non-PED offenses. The 2010s featured harsher punishments for substance abuse, and Bryant ran afoul of these standards at multiple points during his initial NFL run. He missed four games in 2015 due to substance-abuse ban and was sidelined throughout the 2016 season. Bryant’s subsequent penalty — levied in December 2018 — ended up lasting for nearly five years. The ex-Ben Roethlisberger target scored 17 touchdowns from 2014-17 as a Steeler, adding a spectacular TD grab in the 2015 wild-card round.
Bryant remained in redevelopment mode as of late November of last year, and the Cowboys went with other options as CeeDee Lamb wingmen. The team released Bryant from its practice squad in early January but circled back via the futures deal. The Titans also had Bryant on their radar last year. It will be interesting to see if the Clemson alum — who also stopped through the CFL, XFL and Fan Controlled Football League — receives another NFL opportunity.
This move clears a spot for Jones, who is visiting the Cowboys today. The son of Robert Jones — a former Super Bowl starter for the Cowboys in the 1990s — Zay is a Dallas native who has seen one of his free agency doors (the Titans) seemingly close due to the Brian Callahan–Tyler Boyd reunion. The Cowboys still have Brandin Cooks in place as their top Lamb complement, but they remain on the hunt for more help.
I remember this guy.
Wow. Forgot he was still around.
That’s ok. You just signed a similar player in Claypool. Enjoy
Oh wow. Great burn I guess?
Not sure why.
Not a burn
Just that Claypool is a mirror image of Bryant in terms of unlimited potential obstructed by one’s own approach
Maybe yet another change of scenery will benefit Claypool but I wouldn’t bet on it
Claypool has been in the league 4 yrs.
Bryant was draftee more than a decade’s ago. Im simply was surprised he was still around.
And do not mistake this for defending Claypool – Ive been critical of that too. He is low risk though.
But Claypool is a flier with low risk.
I like the Bills. I hope he turns it around. But like Martavis, he can’t seem to get out of his own way
Some Steelers fan will say the should sign him. Yinzers love to bring back old players who have nothing left. In this case, he had nothing to start with.
Well, AB is saying all kinds of flowery things about his time here with Tomlin and Ben. Maybe he would like another shot, too