Raiders have change of heart, put their faith back in Bryant
ALAMEDA >> The Martavis Bryant story took another twist on Wednesday when the Raiders brought back the wide receiver 10 days after they had waived him.
The Raiders traded a third-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Bryant during April’s draft, but Jon Gruden wasn’t satisfied with his consistency throughout the preseason. Bryant missed several practices with migraines and illnesses, and Gruden dubbed him the “White Tiger” because of how infrequently he lived up to the hype (Gruden only saw the white tiger at the Tampa Zoo once or twice in a dozen visits, he said, hence the metaphor). Even so, Gruden didn’t think the Raiders miscalculated their decision to acquire Bryant for a high pick.
Gruden said on Sept. 2 that wide receiver Keon Hatcher, who the Raiders waived on Wednesday to make room for Bryant, beat him out on performance alone. But Gruden
switched course to re-acquire the receiver who has yet to unlock the potential Raiders coaches and players have raved about.
Multiple reports indicated Bryant was facing another suspension related to the league’s drug policy, and that’s why the Raiders initially parted ways with him. Gruden wouldn’t comment on whether that led to Bryant’s release on cutdown day or where his current league status stands (he’s not allowed to), rather offering a dose of optimism ahead of Sunday’s game against Denver.
“I think he’s in a good place right now. I think he’s healthy. I think he’s ready to go,” Gruden said of Bryant, who suggested the receiver might play this weekend. “Sold on that. We’ve been in contact with him since he’s been away. As I said when we made the trade to get him, when he’s right he can be a difference-maker. We’re hoping that he can be one sooner than later.”
Bryant is the Raiders’ only true deep threat aside from Amari Cooper, an important piece of Gruden’s offense if Cooper is held in check as he was Monday against the Rams (one catch for nine yards). While Jared Cook and Jalen Richard proved sufficient targets in the intermediate passing game, nobody besides Cooper can take the top off the defense.
“He’s happy to just be back with us, where I think he should be,” quarterback Derek Carr said of Bryant. “I think that with us, we can be there for him, help him with whatever he needs and then he can help us to win football games. We obviously know what kind of talent he is and so very excited to have him back and have that threat of that speed.
“He can split double teams. Teams can try and play certain coverages with him, but he’s so fast that doesn’t matter. You make one false step ... he can be gone like that ... he can do things that other people just don’t do.”
Bryant has 126 receptions for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career. He missed the entire 2016 season while suspended for a violation of the NFL substance-abuse policy.
Bryant’s tenure with the Raiders has been a fascinating one, from offseason reports of the Raiders fearing an imminent suspension to no suspension news throughout camp to the Raiders reportedly waiving him on cutdown day for that exact reason. With no official word from the league yet on discipline for Bryant, he’s back, ready to play against the Broncos this Sunday because he already knows what Gruden’s offense is like.
For those saying the Raiders didn’t include him on the initial 53-man roster because his salary would’ve been guaranteed and now it’s not since they signed him Wednesday, that’s not true. Regardless of when he’s suspended, if he is at all, the discipline comes without pay. That aspect makes it that much more perplexing why the Raiders didn’t just keep Bryant on the initial 53-man roster so he could play against the Rams.
Whatever the reason, though, his fellow wideouts are glad to have him back.
“Fast player, deep threat, going to really take the top off of defenses,” Cooper said. “We’re excited about that. He’s a guy who’s really going to help open things up for us.”
“Just another playmaker, someone who’s very obviously dynamic with their speed and can stretch the field and can make plays in other aspects,” Jordy Nelson said. “Just another playmaker that’s put in the time the last two months here through offseason and training camp and it’s good to have him back.”
Gruden said he probably would’ve been tossed from the team plane if he didn’t keep Hatcher after his 128-yard, three-touchdown showing against the Seahawks in the preseason finale. As the cruel business of the NFL would have it, Hatcher is now gone, and the player he “outperformed” is back. Gruden is still here, too, not launched from a plane.
The Raiders are clearly satisfied with Bryant’s current status on the field and more importantly off it. Now we’ll see how long he sticks.
“One of the reasons he was outperformed is he was inconsistently available,” Gruden said. “He was sick, he had lingering problems, but I think he’s in a really good place right now and I’ve seen him in a really good place. When he’s in a really good place, he can be a really good player in this league. He’s proven that.”