James Bryant couldn’t stick in the CFL, but will get a NFL shot

Every year, plenty of players try to make the transition from the CFL to the NFL. It's frequently the stars who leave for the bigger paycheques and brighter lights down south, including Jerrell Freeman and Justin Hickman this offseason, and that makes sense; if you can be a dominant player in the CFL, that attracts the interest of NFL teams. However, some of the CFL to NFL transitions are much more out of the blue, and that's the case with the Detroit Lions' signing of fullback James Bryant. Bryant's been described as "from the CFL" in some headlines, but that doesn't tell the entire story; he's actually signed out of nowhere, as he was cut by the B.C. Lions last October and has been out of football since. That isn't necessarily a slam on Bryant's ability, but rather a reflection of both the CFL's roster quirks and how NFL teams' interests go well beyond game footage and stats.

First, on the NFL front, it's worth noting that this isn't the only time their teams have picked up players who didn't exactly dominate the CFL. In fact, just last offseason, the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins pulled similarly surprising moves, picking up Andrew Hawkins and Mark Restelli respectively. However, Hawkins and Restelli were more notable in the CFL than Bryant, as they actually spent multiple years up north and recorded stats. Bryant signed with B.C. in May 2011, was released in June, caught back on with the team and then was released again in October without ever appearing in a game. Bryant's most notable moment in the CFL may have been being briefly profiled by Lowell Ullrich, largely on the strength of his previous boxing career. Thus, it's highly unlikely Detroit signed him based on what he did up north. That's a growing trend in the CFL to NFL movement, though; players may get noticed from putting up great CFL stats, but NFL teams also judge them based on their physical abilities and what they've done at previous levels. In Bryant's case, Detroit must have seen something that impressed them either in a workout or in his college and arena football game tapes, as they certainly didn't notice it from CFL highlights.

Some might think that Bryant's inability to stay on a CFL roster means he's clearly unsuitable for the NFL, but that's not necessarily the case. The CFL's roster rules are quite unusual, and the 42-man active roster at any given point has to have 19 Canadians and three quarterbacks whose nationality isn't considered (but they tend to be American), leaving room for 20 American non-quarterbacks per team. Raw talent is a factor in deciding who gets those spots, but positional depth matters too, as does which positions are earmarked for Canadians and Americans. Experience also comes into it; adapting to the CFL's different rules takes time, so many talented American players wind up playing only small roles in their first seasons. Most of those factors weighed against Bryant with the Lions; he was trying out as a defensive lineman, but the team already had three superb tackles in Khalif Mitchell, Aaron Hunt and Eric Taylor and three impressive ends in Keron Williams, Brent Johnson (a Canadian) and Khreem Smith. The practice roster rules are also odd; the practice roster expands to 12 for a month, but then contracts to seven, and that's what the Lions said compelled them to release Bryant, who they would have liked to keep around. Thus, his release may be more proof of the CFL's unusual roster situations than inherent flaws in his game.

Bryant will reportedly be switching back to fullback with Detroit, which is an interesting move. He played fullback at the University of Miami (where he allegedly was caught up in the Nevin Shapiro scandal) before transferring to Louisville, where he played on the defensive side of the ball. Switching back to offence may be a transition for Bryant, but he has one advantage; he's the only fullback on Detroit's roster right now, so the depth chart looks a little friendlier than it did with his last team of Lions. It will be well worth watching if he's able to catch on in the NFL, and if he does, the northern Lions will have to think about the one that got away.