For the second time in the past few months, the Washington Commanders are bringing in veteran free-agent wide receiver Martavis Bryant for a workout on Tuesday.
The Commanders brought Bryant in for a visit in May. The 32-year-old Bryant signed with the Dallas Cowboys late last season but did not play in a game. He has not played in an NFL game since 2018, when he appeared in two games for the then-Oakland Raiders. Bryant began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a fourth-round pick out of Clemson in the 2014 NFL draft.
Here’s what we wrote about Bryant in May:
Bryant showed tremendous promise early in his career before being suspended for the entire 2016 NFL season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy. It was his second such suspension, as Bryant missed the first four games of the 2015 season.
He was reinstated ahead of the 2017 season and finished with 50 receptions for 603 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The Steelers traded Bryant to the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018 for a third-round pick. However, the Raiders released Bryant before the season after another violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The Raiders then re-signed Bryant just 10 days later, and he played in eight games that season with 19 receptions and 266 yards.
Bryant would be out of football until 2021, when he signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. He’d never play for Toronto as he was suspended after not reporting for training camp. After his release, he signed with an Indoor Football League team, followed by another CFL stint, this time with the Edmonton Eskimos. He was released before ever playing a game.
He signed with the Fan Controlled Football League in 2022 and was drafted by the XFL’s Vegas Vipers in 2021. He caught 14 passes for 154 yards in eight games and was released so that he could sign with the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad.
Washington coach Dan Quinn was with Dallas last season, which explains the connection to the Commanders.
In the four NFL seasons in which he has played, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Bryant has 145 receptions for 2,183 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The Commanders have some uncertainty at the bottom of their depth chart at wide receiver. Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Dyami Brown and Luke McCaffrey are locked into making the 53-man roster, with Olamide Zaccheaus likely to make the roster, too. There are several other players battling for the final one or two spots — depending on how many receivers Washington keeps.
Bryant wouldn’t appear to be a fit, as receivers on the bottom of the depth chart often contribute on special teams.
Sources: Free agent WR Martavis Bryant is working out for the #Commanders Tuesday.
This will be his second visit in recent months with Washington. pic.twitter.com/oS92cdDKOk
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 12, 2024