Commanders give 'Alien' WR one last chance at NFL comeback

The Commanders have plenty of talent and depth at wide receiver, but that didn't top them from adding yet another playmaker ahead of the 2024 season.

On Tuesday, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that Washington is signing veteran wide receiver Martavis Bryant.

Bryant's professional career has been full of ups and downs. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Steelers in 2014 and went on to have 126 catches for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns with them from 2014-17. 

During that time, Bryant earned the nickname "Alien" after making several acrobatic catches and his future was looking bright. However, he was suspended for four games in 2015 and the entire 2016 NFL season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

In April of 2018, Pittsburgh traded Bryant to the Raiders for a third-round pick. There he recorded just 19 catches for 266 yards and zero touchdowns before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Then in December of 2018, the NFL suspended Bryant indefinitely for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement.

Over the next few years, Bryant played in the Canadian Football League, Indoor Football League and XFL with the hopes of turning his career around.

Bryant thought he finally got that opportunity last November when the Cowboys signed him to their practice squad, but he was later released in May.

Only time will tell if the Commanders will be Bryant's last chance to make an NFL comeback, but it feels that way for the 32-year-old.

It won't be easy for Bryant to make Washington's roster, either, as he joins a crowded wide receiver room that includes Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Luke McCaffery, Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, Jamison Crowder and Byron Pringle, but it seems to be now or never for the "Alien."