Getty Austin Bryant reacts after hitting Aaron Rodgers in a 2020 game.
As the Detroit Lions have changed a ton about their defense ahead of 2021, Austin Bryant can easily qualify as one of the true forgotten men on the team’s entire roster.
The defensive end and edge rusher has fought through a couple of injury-plagued seasons on the field which have prevented many from understanding or remembering the talent he has. Even though that’s been the case, Bryant doesn’t have any regrets about what happened during his first seasons in the NFL.
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Bryant came off the PUP list early in camp and has asserted himself in a big way during his first healthy offseason. Speaking with the media on Wednesday, August 11, Bryant explained that while the injuries have frustrated him, he wouldn’t change anything about what they have done to help his development both on and off the football field.
“I’m really grateful to finally be healthy. I went through what I went through. I don’t regret it at all, I think it’s made me a better person, better player at the end of the day,” Bryant told the media. “Now I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to help the team with this new staff, new culture so I’m just grateful, man.”
Bryant confirmed that dealing with the frustration over the injuries was difficult for him, but in the end, he came out of it a changed man.
“It’s tough mentally, especially when you have a lot of expectations as a young player and don’t live up to those beyond factors that you can’t control. Like I said, I am grateful that those things happened to me because it made me a better person, stronger mentally,” Bryant explained. “I took a lot of mental toughness. A lot of times I had to figure out who I was as a man and as a player, and if I wanted to achieve something, had to put the work in to do it. So I am actually really grateful those things happened because they made me better at the end of the day.”
Now, after his first healthy offseason and plenty of work honing his craft, Bryant looks to be locked in on finally finding a way to contribute for the team.
Bryant Facing Pressure for Lions in 2021
Knowing that the Lions are looking for help on defense and specifically at the edge spot and at linebacker, it always seemed as if this was a vital season for the pass rusher. Given the fact he has shown up energized and impressed, that’s been a positive development at a critical time for Bryant
Bryant missed most of the last two season with injury, but it’s true that he was an intriguing edge prospect prior to those troubles taking place. The Lions made some additions up front this year, and the previous regime picked Bryant. All of that adds up to a critical period for the lineman this August as it relates to putting his best foot forward for a roster spot. As he said to the media, Detroit’s new defense could put him in a great position to succeed immediately.
“Just get to be more active, get to be who I am as a player, an aggressive, attacking player. That’s what this defense allows me to be. I’m excited, camp’s been good, so just keep building and keep improving each day,” Bryant admitted.
If Bryant is able to do that, he might turn the pressure around easily and find a way to have a big role for the team in the trenches.
Bryant’s Career Stats and Highlights
Picked up in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, the pass rusher out of Clemson got hyped as a hidden gem thanks to his production in college, but an injury helped his slip in the draft, and once he got to Detroit, he was quickly injured again with a nearly identical ailment to the one he sustained in school. The first few years, he never saw the field and couldn’t show the Lions or their fans some of the immense talent which led to him putting up some solid college stats. With the Tigers, Bryant was active with 130 tackles, 21 sacks, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles and 37 tackles for-loss.
In spite of that, Bryant has put up just 25 total tackles in his time in the NFL, which is a lower total of production than many would have predicted. Still, when looking at the tape, it’s easy to see what fans and analysts like about the player:
A healthy, motivated Bryant would go a long way toward showing that type of play on the field again, which would be big news for the Lions in 2021 given their needy pass rush.
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Austin Bryant Doesn’t Regret Injury-Plagued Start to Lions’ Career