The Cowboys brought in Martavis Bryant late last season as a flier who could potentially help as a supporting caster, but they never activated 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 the team released him on Wednesday.
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 be a 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 Nov. 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 a substance abuse ban and was sidelined throughout the 2016 season. Bryant’s subsequent penalty — levied in December 2018 — lasted 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 in 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 on Wednesday. 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 as their top Lamb complement, but they remain searching for more help.
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