Ravens activate veteran WR Dez Bryant from Reserve/COVID-19 List
Baltimore Ravens veteran wide receiver Dez Bryant’s stay on the Reserve/COVID-19 List was short-lived after five days and now he is back on the active roster following his official activation on Tuesday.
Bryant was sent home hours before the Ravens were slated to face the Dallas Cowboys last Tuesday because he produced a positive test.
He not only missed playing against his former team as the Ravens cruised to a 34-17 win, but he also had to watch Baltimore’s exhilarating 47-42 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football as well.
Bryant went through an array of emotions after getting sent home before the Cowboys game and it was all reflected via the flurry of Tweets from his official account as he expressed despair, disappointment, and even contemplated calling it a career before leveling out after a couple of glasses of wine.
On the morning following that game, he tweeted that he produced two negative tests but was still placed on the reserve list the very next day on Dec.10.
Many of his teammates and coaches, including Head Coach John Harbaugh, expressed how bad they felt for Bryant after he missed the Cowboys game and knew how much it meant to him in the week leading up to the game.
In the two games that he has been forced to watch from home, the Ravens’ offense has flourished in back-to-back primetime spotlights. Baltimore has scored a combined 81 points in their first time notching consecutive wins since they went 3-0 in October.
The Ravens passing game has shown signs of promise over that span during Bryant’s absence with second-year wideouts Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown and Miles Boykin finding their ways into the end zone at least once and are being counted on more and more in the offense.
In three games with Baltimore this season, Bryant has only caught four of his seven targets for 28 yards, all of which came in the same game. His skillset and veteran leadership could be useful assets for the Ravens as they make a strong playoff push in the final three weeks of the season.
Bryant wasn’t the only Raven to come off the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Tuesday. Cornerback Terrell Bonds was also activated and will revert back to the injured reserve list where he’s been since suffering a knee injury in mid-November. Rookie safety Geno Stone is the last player left on the COVID reserve list.
