The Cleveland Browns cut Armonty Bryant after he served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, knowing that the talented pass rusher had more league discipline coming.
The Detroit Lions claimed Bryant with the same knowledge, and Tuesday, they got word that their sack leader over the last month will miss the next three games.
The NFL officially suspended Bryant through the Lions' Thanksgiving game against the Minnesota Vikings for a 2015 incident in which he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge.
Bryant was arrested last Christmas morning with then-Browns teammate De'Ante Saunders, after Saunders was pulled over for drunken driving. Bryant was charged with felony drug possession after authorities found Adderall and Oxycodone in the car, according to cleveland.com.
In July, Bryant, who was arrested on his own drunken-driving charge shortly after he was drafted in 2013, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted drug possession and received 68 days of probation.
"When we signed Armonty, we knew additional discipline from the NFL was a possibility due to an incident that occurred in 2015," the Lions said in a statement released by the team. "Since joining our team, Armonty has met our expectations on and off the field."
Bryant has five tackles and three sacks in four games with the Lions this year and has been effective as a nickel pass rusher.
Cornerback Johnthan Banks, whom the Lions acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, will take Bryant's spot on the 53-man roster.
The Lions gave up a conditional seventh-round pick in 2018 for Banks, a former college teammate of Darius Slay at Mississippi State.
A second-round pick in 2013, Banks had seven interceptions in his first two seasons in Tampa but played in just five games, mostly on special teams, this year.
The Lions on Tuesday also placed undrafted rookie tight end Cole Wick on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury and re-signed tight end Matthew Mulligan, who was with the team in training camp.
