Polarizing ex-Steelers wide receiver attempts unlikely NFL comeback

NFL comebacks are hard to make. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave a shot to 2019 fourth-round pick Hakeem Butler. But as dominant as the 6'5'' wide receiver was in the St. Louis Battlehawks in the UFL, his NFL comeback attempt was unsuccessful and he was out of a job before the start of the 2023 NFL season.

Now a well-known ex-Steelers receiver is attempting to land on an NFL roster, and his uphill battle is a near-impossible climb.

On August 12, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported Martavis Bryant will work out for the Washington Commanders on Tuesday. This is his second time visiting Washington in recent months. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on August 13 that Bryant had officially signed with the Commanders.

Bryant was a fourth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2014 NFL Draft. After an electrifying start to his NFL career, suspensions for substance abuse derailed his promising career and caused him to never see a second contract in the NFL.

Bryant played just 21 games in his first two seasons, and in 2016, he missed the entire year due to suspension. Early in the 2018 offseason, the Steelers were forced to trade Bryant to the Las Vegas Raiders. Halfway through the season, Bryant was inactive and he would soon serve an indefinite suspension from the league.

The once dynamic playmaker and deep threat quickly became an afterthought. After testing his luck in arena football, Bryant joined the XFL on the Vegas Vipers where he played just eight games in 2023 -- recording 14 catches for 154 yards.

Steelers former receiver is attempting the impossible

After a five-year hiatus from the NFL, Bryant is desperately hoping to stick on the Commanders' roster this year. The 32-year-old is attempting to defy the odds and carve out a role as a wide receiver in 2024. Successful NFL comebacks after a five-year absence from the game are almost unheard of, and Bryant would be in rare company if he is able to pull off such a feat.

During his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bryant raked in 126 catches for 1,917 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in just 36 games (16 starts). At 6'4'' with 4.4 speed and impressive run-after-the-catch ability, Bryant was an exceptionally rare receiver in his prime.

Unfortunately, the ship has likely sailed on his glory days in the NFL. The former elite deep threat -- who recorded receptions of 94 and 88 yards in his career and averaged 21.1 yards per reception as a rookie -- doesn't possess the speed he once did that made him such an intriguing player.

We will keep tabs on where things go from here, but Martavis Bryant's NFL comeback feels like an impossible feat. We'll see what kind of shape he's in and whether or not he has any gas left in the tank to earn a spot on Washington's final roster.