Dez Bryant's Fantasy Outlook, Ravens' Updated Depth Chart After Contract Signing

The Baltimore Ravens offense hasn't been as electric following a record-breaking 2019 season. Perhaps that will change with the addition of a three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday the Ravens are signing Dez Bryant to their practice squad.

Bryant hasn't played in an NFL game since Dec. 31, 2017, so it might be a stretch to think he can immediately come in and transform Baltimore's passing game. He'll also have to fight for targets in an offense that includes Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews.

Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart

• QB: Lamar Jackson, Robert Griffin III
• RB: Mark Ingram II, J.K. Dobbins
• WR: Marquise Brown, Willie Snead IV, Miles Boykin, *Dez Bryant
• TE: Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle 
• LT: Ronnie Stanley, Orlando Brown Jr.
• LG: Bradley Bozeman, Ben Powers
• C: Matt Skura, Patrick Mekari
• RG: Tyre Phillips, Patrick Mekari/Ben Powers
• RT: Orlando Brown Jr., D.J. Fluker

Bryant's lengthy layoff raises obvious questions about what he can deliver in 2020.

The 31-year-old signed with the New Orleans Saints in November 2018 but tore his Achilles before he played a single down for the team. He signaled in November 2019 that he was ready to resume playing but went unsigned for the remainder of the season.

Toward the end of his run with the Dallas Cowboys, Bryant wasn't playing like the wideout who had three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2012 to '14.

He had 69 receptions for 838 yards and six touchdowns in 2017, and Football Outsiders ranked him 72nd among qualified receivers in DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement). Fantasy scoring doesn't account for Bryant's 52.4 percent catch rate that year, per Pro Football Reference, but that number generally reflected his on-field struggles.

Now he's two years older and coming off a major injury while simultaneously joining an offense in which the running game is a big focus. The Ravens have logged the 12th-most carries but rank first in yards per attempt (5.4), so head coach John Harbaugh has little reason to drastically rethink his approach.

Because of Bryant's profile, his signing will obviously grab headlines. Give it a game or two before you entertain the idea of adding him to your fantasy squad, though.