Why was Martavis Bryant suspended from the NFL? Commanders WR's 5-year absence explained

Martavis Bryant is still playing in the NFL. At 32.

As the Washington Commanders continues with their training camp, one specific - and, at first, innocuous - transaction caught the attention of die-hard NFL fans. Wide receiver Martavis Bryant signed with the team in a bid to earn some reps during practice and carve a spot on the 53-man roster.

The fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft had to deal with multiple violations of the league's substance abuse policy. He first missed four games in the 2015 season, and was later suspended for the entire 2016 year for new violations. He returned in 2017 only.

Bryant is best known for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he also had stints with the Las Vegas Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys. However, his career was marked by suspensions, which hampered his progress at a time when he was positioning himself as a sure-fire starter with many years to come.

Martavis Bryant's career is a big case of "What if?"

In 2014, Bryant took the NFL by surprise. A fourth-round pick in that year's draft, few expected the Clemson wide receiver to produce anything in his first year. After all, he had little playing experience and had to compete with DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins, who were both college football superstars.

However, midway through his rookie year, Martavis Bryant showed what he was capable of, with his astonishing combination of size and speed and an incredible knack for touchdowns. He finished the season with 31 receptions, 610 yards and nine touchdowns - in other words, 30% of his catches were scores.

Bryant continued his success story in 2015 and, despite serving a four-game suspension, amassed 64 receptions, 948 yards and seven touchdowns. He was the team's standout performer in the last game of the season - the playoff loss to the Denver Broncos - when he proved capable of filling the void left on offense by the absence of Antonio Brown, who, back then, wasn't much of a pain in the ass.

Still, the suspensions wrecked his potential and he could never return to his best days in Pittsburgh. Although it's great to see he's still playing at 32, it's unlikely he'll ever make an NFL reception again.