The Oakland Raiders have overhauled their roster from top to bottom under the guidance of head coach Jon Gruden, adding a plethora of offensive weapons to an existing core that features the likes of Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Marshawn Lynch.
The Raiders, in particular, revamped their wide receiver corps at the start of the free agency period, signing longtime Green Bay Packers wideout Jordy Nelson while allowing Michael Crabtree to depart for the Baltimore Ravens.
Oakland didn’t stop there, as they swung a surprising trade on Day 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft that netted talented wide receiver Martavis Bryant from the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 79th overall pick.
Bryant, despite being one of the more explosive wide receivers in the league, came with some baggage in previously being suspended twice for violating the substance abuse policy.
Another violation would result in the Clemson product being suspended for the length of a year or potentially longer, leaving no margin of error for Bryant in his first season in a Raiders uniform.
That being said, there were concerns that Bryant may have failed another drug test toward the end of the Raiders’ minicamp in June. Those reports have since been debunked, and according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Bryant has yet to be told of any wrongdoing by the NFL:
As of Wednesday, Bryant had not been notified by the league of anything. I am told he did not fail a drug test or miss a test for that matter.
It’s certainly a promising sign that Bryant remains in the clear with training camp rapidly approaching in the coming weeks.
Should Bryant indeed dodge any punishment from the league, he looks to build off a solid 2017 season with the Steelers in which he hauled in 50 receptions for 603 yards and three touchdowns.
Bryant, entering the final year of his contract, hopes to be featured in a more prominent role for the new-look Raiders offense where he can maximize his potential with a fresh start.
