Dallas Cowboys release wide receiver Martavis Bryant
The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly releasing veteran wide receiver Martavis Bryant, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. The news comes on the same day that the team is hosting former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Zay Jones for a visit.
Bryant never appeared in a game for the Cowboys after they signed him to the practice squad in November. Still, they signed him to a Reserve/Futures deal after the season. Mike McCarthy gave the former Raiders receiver a good endorsement during the season in case any other team needs a pair of hands before OTAs and training camp.
“I really like him,” McCarthy said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He’s done a really, really good job coming in here, fitting in here. I think just like anybody that’s been away for the amount of time he has, there definitely was a conditioning hurdle to get over. He has lost a little weight. I think he has shown more and more with each opportunity. Excellent personality. He’s just trying to do everything right. I have a lot of respect for the way he has come in here.”
Bryant, 32, last played in an NFL game during the 2018 season with the Las Vegas Raiders. He has been suspended multiple times for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and received his reinstatement in November. Before signing with the Cowboys, Bryant played in the XFL for the Vegas Vipers. In eight games, he hauled in 14 receptions for 154 yards.
The Steelers selected Bryant out of Clemson in the 2014 NFL Draft in the fourth round. At 6-foot-4, 211 pounds at the NFL combine, he clocked a 4.42 40-yard dash.
Cowboys host free agent Zay Jones
The Dallas Cowboys are hosting former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones for visit on Wednesday, according to Jordan Schultz. Jones, who the Jaguars released following the 2024 NFL Draft, has met with the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals as well.
Dallas, which parted ways with former third-round pick Michael Gallup this offseason, could certainly use another weapon for Dak Prescott this season. The team returns CeeDee Lamb, as well as Brandin Cooks and tight end Jake Ferguson.
Zay Jones missed several games for the Jaguars with a knee injury in 2023. He posted 34 catches for 321 yards and two scores. In March, Jones had misdemeanor domestic battery charges against him dropped in Duval County. The seventh-year veteran had his best season to date in 2022. He caught a career-high 82 passes for 823 yards and five scores.
Through his first seven seasons in the league, the former second-round draft pick has accumulated 287 receptions, 3,028 yards and 18 touchdowns in 104 regular-season games. In the Jaguars’ 2022 postseason run, he added another 13 receptions and 157 yards with one touchdown.
Jones has played for the Bills, Raiders and Jaguars so far in his career. The Bills took him with the 37th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of East Carolina. He is the son of Robert Jones, a former Cowboys linebacker from 1992-1995. The elder Jones helped Dallas win three Super Bowl titles.