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The Dallas Cowboys made a pair of roster transactions on Tuesday, waiving wide receiver Ventell Bryant and cornerback Saivion Smith in the wake of their 38-10 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals, the team announced.
In a corresponding roster move, reinstated defensive end Randy Gregory has been activated from the Commissioner’s Exempt List and added to the 53-man roster.
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Bryant originally joined Dallas a rookie in 2019. He appeared in 12 games, registering just one reception for 15 yards while contributing on special teams. Retained for 2020 despite an offseason DUI arrest, Bryant survived final cuts but landed on injured reserve after straining his PCL during the club’s Blue and White scrimmage in August. According to reports, he was released with an injury settlement.
Bryant’s departure whittles down the Cowboys’ WR corps to the Big Three — Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup — as well as Cedrick Wilson, Malik Turner and Noah Brown, who notched his first reception since 2018 in Monday’s loss.
Smith went undrafted in 2019 and signed with the Cowboys this past April. The former Alabama product, likened to current teammate Daryl Worley and former Washington star Josh Norman amid the pre-draft process, was elevated from the practice squad to Dallas’ active roster on September 26, prior to the club’s Week 3 loss at Seattle.
Smith’s departure could mean starting CB Chidobe Awuzie, who’s eligible to come off IR, is nearing his return. As is, the Cowboys move forward with Worley, Jourdan Lewis, Anthony Brown, Trevon Diggs and CJ Goodwin comprising the depth chart.
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Gregory’s Re-Entry
The star-crossed pass-rusher, reinstated from a long league ban, has completed his team-issued acclimation plan, which began with COVID-19 testing and ends with the 27-year-old playing in his first game since 2018 — perhaps Sunday at Washington.
Gregory, signed to an extension last month, returned to practice October 7. A week later, he was described as “lights out” by teammate Ezekiel Elliott, who foreshadowed a possible Robert Quinn-like midseason impact.
“It was really tough to block him. I’m excited to get Randy back. He’s got those fresh legs and he looks better than I’ve ever seen him,” Elliott said on October 15, according to The Athletic.
Gregory arrives as an ideal bookend to designated edge rusher/outside linebacker Aldon Smith, whose four sacks lead the Cowboys. He should see the field situationally, rotating in on passing downs with DeMarcus Lawrence and Everson Griffen.
“Randy is Randy. He’s going to do his thing,” LB Jaylon Smith said last week, via The Athletic. “Immediate electricity, that what Randy is. … It feels good to have him here in the building. Can’t wait to see him back.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL