The #Ravens plan to sign veteran WR Dez Bryant to the practice squad if his workout goes well and he passes a physical, source said. Baltimore previously worked out Bryant in August, so this is more of a check-in. He should land in Baltimore, finally.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 22, 2020
There’s a little more work to be done before it’s all official, signed, and delivered, but longtime Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant is close to returning to football. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Bryant is headed for a workout and physical with the Baltimore Ravens, a team he tried out for back in August. If all goes well, the Pro Bowl wide receiver plans to sign with Baltimore’s practice squad.
Bryant spent two days with the Saints back in 2018, unluckily tearing his Achilles tendon near the end of his second practice. He then went through a lengthy recovery and still hasn’t signed with another team. When the Saints put star wideout Michael Thomas on ice with an ankle sprain early this season, Bryant was not considered as a band-aid to help tide New Orleans over until their No. 1 receiver could return to action.
Whether he’ll eventually get on the field is not clear. The Ravens offense has plenty of receivers as it is, with six of them on the 53-man roster: starting trio Marquise Brown, Willie Snead, and Miles Boykin, with backups Devin Duvernay and James Proche (plus reserve Chris Moore). If Bryant joins the Ravens practice squad, he’d be lumped in with rookie receiver Jaylon Moore.
So he has quite a ways to go before climbing the depth chart. But it’s a chance at getting back on the field, and maybe fans will get to see him throw up his signature ‘X’ celebration again this year, someday. Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen against the Saints in Super Bowl LV.
