NFL star wants Martavis Bryant, Josh Gordon to get another chance in NFL

There are a lot of familiar names playing in the most recent version of the XFL, and two of the biggest might be wide receivers Josh Gordon and Martavis Bryant.

One prominent NFL player, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, wants to see them get another shot in the NFL.

The biggest thing that pushed Gordon and Bryant out of the NFL were multiple marijuana-related suspensions, sidetracking two promising careers. In the early 2010s, when both players were in the primes of their careers, the NFL's marijuana rules were significantly harsher than they are now and neither player was able to avoid getting caught up in them. 

With those rules loosened, Heyward wants to see if they can make it in the NFL. 

"You look at guys like Martinis Bryant and you look at Josh Gordon, and you see the rules in the NFL have changed, and if those things had changed before, those guys wouldn’t be out of the league," said Heyward on his "Not Just Football" podcast. "Those guys can play in the NFL. They’ve proven that. Let’s see if they can continue to do it and work their way back up."

Gordon was an emerging superstar when he played for the Cleveland Browns, leading the league in receiving yards during his second season in the league in 2013 despite the fact he never had a great quarterback throwing to him. He ended up missing all of the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to suspensions. When he returned in 2017 he ended up bouncing around the league, making brief stops in New England, Seattle, Kansas City and Tennessee. 

It was a similar story for Bryant, who actually spent three seasons as a teammate of Heyward in Pittsburgh. 

Bryant looked like he was going to be a star for the Steelers, bursting onto the scene with big play ability in 2014. After two promising years, he was suspended for the 2016 season and was eventually traded following the 2017 season to the Raiders. He spent just one year playing for the Raiders before being suspended indefinitely by the league.

He would need to apply for reinstatement to get another chance. 

Bryant plays for the Vegas Vipers in the XFL, while Gordon is a member of the Seattle Sea Dragons.

Both players are well into their 30s now so they may not have the same ability they did when they first burst into the league, but it is worth wondering what their careers might have looked like in a different NFL environment and with the current rules.