Former Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant is returning to the NFL, and it seems he has his first workout. The Dallas Cowboys are interested in the explosive receiver, and he has a workout with the team on Tuesday. Bryant has not played in the league since 2018 with the Oakland Raiders.
The league reinstated him on Saturday. Bryant, 31, was suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in 2018 after several failed drug tests for marijuana usage. He applied for reinstatement in 2019 but spent four years waiting to be reinstated.
Since then, Bryant has been playing anywhere and everywhere, spending time with the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League, at least two indoor football teams. He then played this spring with the Vegas Vipers of the XFL.
With the Vipers, where Bryant played under former Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson, Bryant caught 14 passes for 154 yards this season. Vegas struggled to throw the ball all season, with Jalen McClendon and Brett Hundley completing less than 60% of their passes.
Since 2021, NFL players are now only required to test for marijuana once per season between the start of training camp and the club’s first preseason game. Players who fail the test are subjected only to a fine for most violations. The league also dramatically increased the testing threshold for a positive result.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Bryant spent the first three seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, catching 126 passes for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Steelers traded Bryant to the Oakland Raiders before the 2018 season, but he played in just eight games before the suspension. Cam Heyward argued for his reinstatement before the season.
“You look at guys like Martavis Bryant, and you look at Josh Gordon, and you see that the rules of the NFL have changed,” Heyward said. “If those things had changed before, those guys wouldn’t be out of the league. Those guys can play in the NFL. They’ve proven that. Let’s see if they can continue to do it, and they work their way back up.”
Now, Bryant is back in the league and hopes to find a team. The Cowboys could be that team, but they are unlikely to be the only team that will give Bryant a long look.