NFL Rumors: Cowboys working out forgotten WR who hasn't played in NFL in five years

It's well-documented that the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver room has been hit or miss this season outside of CeeDee Lamb, who caught 11 passes for a career-high 191 yards on 16 targets against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Besides Lamb, no Cowboys receiver finished with more than 50 yards. Michael Gallup had a crucial drop on third down and caught 2 passes for 19 yards, while Brandin Cooks performed another disappearing act after he seemed to be coming on in the previous two games. Cooks finished with one catch for seven yards.

Some Cowboys fans and talking heads would have liked the team to trade for a receiver at the deadline but the market never really materialized. It also wasn't clear whether or not the front office felt the WR room needed a spark.

Well, following another Lamb-dominated game, the Cowboys are reportedly working out veteran wideout Martavis Bryant on Tuesday, per The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Cowboys Rumors: Dallas to workout veteran WR Martavis Bryant

As Russini notes, Bryant hasn't played in the NFL since 2018.

A former fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2014, Bryant was suspended four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy in 2015. He was subsequently suspended for the entire 2016 campaign after another violation.

Bryant was traded to the Raiders before the 2018 season and was promptly suspended indefinitely by the NFL in 2018 after he appeared in eight games for the Raiders. For those wondering, the Raiders were still based in Oakland the last time Bryant appeared in an NFL game.

Bryant has been in and out of football following his indefinite suspension. He played in the CFL following his 2018 ban and played in the XFL last summer.

The former Clemson product put together some promising seasons with the Steelers early in his career, but his career never got off the ground due to suspensions and an ability to stay healthy. He burst onto the scene with 549 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie and followed that with 765 yards and six TDs in 2015.

To call this a dart throw by Dallas would be an understatement. Bryant is now 31 and though he's taken the necessary steps to get reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodell, it's hard to envision this workout ending with Bryant signing a contract.

At the same time, though, it doesn't hurt to see if Bryant is still an NFL-caliber player. The Cowboys have an empty spot on the practice squad. In the best-case scenario, Bryant signs a one-year deal for the vet minimum and provides a T.Y. Hilton-like spark to the WR room. It's been five years since Bryant last played in the NFL, but he was one of the most dynamic wideouts in the game at one point.

In the worst case, Bryant leaves without a contract and the Cowboys move forward with Lamb, Cooks Gallup and Jalen Tolbert.

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