New Cowboys wide receiver Martavis Bryant hasn’t played in an NFL game in five years, but he says he’s capable of being the same player he was as a rookie, when he was one of the NFL’s most dangerous deep threats.
“The sky’s the limit for me, man,” Bryant said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “I know I’m 31, but still fast, still big, still want to play football. I haven’t lost anything. [It’s] more of a prove-it-point to me. I’ve got a lot of doubters out there. It’s more of me proving to myself that I still got it.”
Bryant, whose promising NFL career was derailed by multiple suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, says his battle with addiction took him places he never wanted to be.
“To places that you can’t even imagine,” Bryant said. “Some really dark places and times. I really would not like to talk about it, but I’ve worked hard to get through those moments.”
Bryant said Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was Bryant’s teammate for two years at Clemson, encouraged him to work out together and helped Bryant realize he still had a passion for football.
“I’ve got to get in football shape,” he said. “I’m in shape but I’ve got to get in football shape. Football shape is different.”
If Bryant can get into the kind of shape he was when he averaged 21.1 yards per catch as a rookie, he could be a significant addition for the Cowboys down the stretch. It’s a low-risk move for the Cowboys that could prove to have a significant reward.
