Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
I spent much of this past summer clamoring for the Cleveland Browns to give former Ohio State Buckeye Terrelle Pryor a legitimate shot at their final roster.
Knowing his time as an NFL quarterback was all but over, Pryor made a desperation move and changed positions to receiver. As drastic as such a change was, he took it incredibly seriously, training all summer long with some of the league’s best wideouts. Additionally, the Browns were very slim at playmakers in any position, especially receiver. They had some good possession wideouts, but nobody who had Pryor’s skillset and could truly be a game-breaker.
Oddly enough, four months later, and with just three games left in Cleveland’s season, I find myself thinking the same thing once again. The Browns are giving Pryor a chance, and they have to find out if he’s truly the game-changing wide receiver he could potentially be.
As it was in the summer, Cleveland is short on receiving threats. However, earlier in the year, nobody knew tight end Gary Barnidge could put forth the incredible season he’s been having (901 yards, eight touchdowns). It also wasn’t known if wideout Travis Benjamin could be a reliable and healthy threat for an entire year (currently enjoying career highs in receptions, yardage and touchdowns).
That said, beyond these two, the Browns are severely shallow at receiver. Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins were proving to be dependable at moving the chains, but both are now out for the year with injuries. Taylor Gabriel and Marlon Moore have had their moments, but neither are anything more than third or fourth options. As for Cleveland’s big-money free agency signing, Dwayne Bowe, you get the feeling the Browns would rather start a member of their coaching staff at wideout over him. Bowe has only been active in five games, and has three catches on the year.
So, when quarterback Johnny Manziel takes the field today against a vaunted Seattle Seahawks defense, he’s going to quickly realize he doesn’t have a lot of options to throw to.
However, if Cleveland gives Pryor a decent amount of snaps, Manziel will see something he or any other Browns quarterback hasn’t had the luxury of working with all season. He’ll see a physically imposing, 6’4” receiver who can be an absolute weapon if given the ball in the open field. There’s nobody else in Cleveland’s wideout corps who brings what Pryor potentially can, and the team needs to use today and the remaining two games of the year to see if he can indeed cut it as an NFL receiver.
Of course, you have to say things like “potentially” because, quite frankly, nobody even knows if Pryor can play this position. He looked great in training camp when healthy, sure, but there’s a stark difference between camp and a live game. Additionally, when he was cut by Cleveland before the season started, Pryor was never able to catch on with any other team. He was only given a couple tryouts, but was more than available when the Browns gave him another call a couple weeks ago.
As we know, though, a major change has been made in Cleveland’s starting offensive unit, and it’s a change Pryor could definitely bank on.
Where Pryor would’ve opened the year with Josh McCown at starting quarterback, he’ll now be working with Manziel. We saw last week how much wideouts can benefit when the former Texas A&M star effectively extends plays with his legs, as many of the Browns’ most productive moments occurred when Manziel scampered and receivers broke off their routes to find an opening. Now, imagine how much Manziel would love it if, upon finding some extra room to throw, he finds a gigantic, quick target in Pryor making his way to open field.
As you can see, there are reasons why this combo could prove beneficial to both players involved.
At 3-10, the remaining games of Cleveland’s season are nothing more than a formality. There’s nothing to play for other than potentially being a spoiler for their remaining opponents who are all fighting for their playoff lives.
With this in mind, you can see why the Browns need to utilize some of this time to see what they have in Pryor. His skillset is just too unique to ignore, and with nothing left to lose, Cleveland can afford to give him the consideration someone with his abilities deserves.
Casey Drottar is the Cleveland Beat Writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook
