CINCINNATI – Odds were slim at best that Martavis Bryant would play for the Raiders again. He's currently on injured reserve and set for unrestricted free agency following a one-year experiment that failed from the start.
Now it's unclear when he'll be able to play for any team.
The NFL suspended Bryant indefinitely for violating conditions of his reinstatement after being banned as a repeat offender of the league's substance abuse policy.
He returns to the reserve/commissioner suspended list, where he was placed to start a 1-year ban in April 2016. He played the entire 2017 season in Pittsburgh without incident.
A possible return to the suspended list loomed over Bryant since the summer, and was brought up again on Sept. 1 as a reason why the Raiders cut him upon finalizing their regular season roster.
He was re-signed after Week 1 and received 14 weeks salary as an underused and underperforming member of the Raiders receiver corps.
Bryant has immense talent, plus ideal size and speed, but never justified the third-round pick traded to Pittsburgh for him. Count that as a draft day mistake by Jon Gruden and the Raiders' brain trust.
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Gruden often criticized Bryant for struggling to learn multiple receiver positions in his offensive system. Bryant was also dubbed the "white tiger," for being unavailable so often in training camp while dealing with migraine headaches.
Bryant didn't do much once the season started. He finished with 19 catches for 266 yards and no touchdowns.
