Newly-reinstated wide receiver Martavis Bryant is joining the Dallas Cowboys, a person with knowledge of the signing told USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the signing was not yet official.
Bryant, who last played in the NFL in 2018, is signing with the Cowboys after he worked out for the team on Tuesday. The signing comes just days after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Bryant from a four-year suspension for multiple violations of the league’s policy on substance abuse.
Bryant is signing to the practice squad.
Bryant, 31, played for the XFL’s Vegas Vipers earlier this year, writing on Instagram in February, ‘Blessed and thankful to be back doing what I love, but I’m hungry to get back to where I belong.’ He last played in the NFL for the Raiders in 2018 before he was suspended indefinitely in December 2018, his third suspension in five seasons.
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Bryant was drafted out of Clemson in the fourth round of the 2014 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he recorded 28 receptions, 549 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games (three starts) during his rookie campaign. Bryant was suspended the first four games of the 2015 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and finished with 50 receptions, 765 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games (five starts).
He was again suspended for the entire 2016 season for repeat violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. At the time, his agent told USA TODAY that Bryant was suffering from depression and would check into rehab. Bryant was conditionally reinstated in April 2017 and he had 50 receptions, 603 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games (eight starts).
The Steelers traded Bryant to the Raiders in April 2018 and he recorded 19 receptions, 266 yards and no touchdowns in eight games (two starts) before a knee injury ended his season. He was subsequently suspended indefinitely for a violation of the terms of his conditional reinstatement.
The Cowboys (5-3) rank 12th in the NFL in passing offense, generating an average of 234.9 passing yards per game. Star receiver CeeDee Lamb leads the team with 824 yards and three touchdowns, but the team has been missing a dependable No. 2 target, with tight end Jake Ferguson ranking second on the team with only 328 receiving yards.