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The Baltimore Ravens added Dez Bryant to their practice squad recently, but fans should be careful expecting a ton out of the veteran wideout. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Ravens are taking a steady approach with Bryant the rest of the season.
There's no doubt that Baltimore's offense could use some help for Lamar Jackson at wide receiver. Besides Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews, the Ravens don't have anyone striking fear into a defense.
Therefore, when Baltimore brought Bryant in, some people believed that he was brought in to be an immediate contributor. However, it's worth noting that Bryant hasn't suited up in an NFL game since the 2017 season with the Dallas Cowboys.
Given that, the Ravens want to bring him along slowly before possibly inserting him into the offense. During the week of Baltimore's matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bryant has reportedly served as a scout team receiver, per La Canfora.
In addition to the scout team, Bryant has been operating as a mentor to the wide receivers in Baltimore. Even though he may not be viewed as a leader by some, he is a veteran presence in a young receiving corps of the Ravens.
On Sunday versus the Steelers, it will be interesting to see how Baltimore's offense looks like coming out of their bye week. Plus, Pittsburgh's defense could pose issues for the Ravens if they can get to Jackson.
At some point this season, we could see Bryant catching passes from Jackson in the offense. However, it's probably worth tempering expectations for the 31-year-old wide receiver in his comeback with the Ravens, as he's mostly just an insurance policy.
Baltimore is reportedly still looking for more weapons for Jackson ahead of the trade deadline, but the team doesn't have a whole lot of flexibility thanks to just $2.8 million in cap space.
