Cyril Grayson Ready to Answer the Call for Bucs
He tried driving for Uber.
He worked for other delivery services.
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers called Cyril Grayson, he had just gotten his certification to be a substitute teacher.
That was the plan for the former LSU track star, who had bounced around to seven different NFL teams over the last three years.
Instead, he'll be catching passes from the NFL's leading passer against the Houston Texans on Sunday, filling the void likely to be left behind by the league's premier wide receiver tandem.
"It's kinda been a wild six days for me," Grayson said Tuesday. "But it's exciting nonetheless. I'm just grateful for the opportunity that's come up in these last couple of weeks. I've been sitting at home, just being hopeful, and then it's finally coming and paying off. God's faithful, so that's just what I'm trusting and believing."
The Bucs are expected to be without both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin this week, with both nursing hamstring injuries. Rookie Scotty Miller is dealing with a hamstring injury of his own. If all three can't go Sunday, that would leave Breshad Perriman and Justin Watson as Tampa Bay's top options at receiver.
That could force Grayson into a crash-course in Bruce Arians' offense, as the Bucs try to win their fifth consecutive game.
"It came full-circle," Grayson said. "I came and did a workout a while ago, and they remembered me. so I'm glad to be here."
The life of a player trying to survive the perpetual roster bubble in the NFL can be stressful in many ways, and Grayson has experienced a wide range of challenges throughout his unique pro football journey.
"It's a process," Grayson said. "Just with job situation, money, you're thinking about all of those different things. But also having to stay in shape for an opportunity like this. So, what can I do to make money, but also be flexible, to be able to move around. If you're the type of guy that I've been these last couple of years, where you're bouncing around the league, and not in a stable spot."
"A lot of people go up and down, and end up in a spot where they're like, 'Eh, I don't know if it's for me,'" Grayson continued. "But you've just got to keep trusting, keep going after it, and it's gonna happen."
Having been signed and cut so many times over the past three years, this latest opportunity to prove himself on the field brought Grayson to tears.
"This was the first time, I think, when I got a phone call, that I shed some tears," Grayson said. "Just that it came to pass, and that hard work does pay off, and that I've made it."
