Terrelle Pryor was one of the only bright spots for the Cleveland Browns in 2016 which made it surprising to see the Browns let him walk after the season ended – despite Pryor admitting that he would like to remain with the team. The former college quarterback joined Cleveland in 2015 after spending three seasons out of the NFL and worked hard to learn the wide receiver position to give himself a second life in the NFL. Now, Pryor is playing for the Washington Redskins and is impressing his coaches with his play, proving that his second chance was not a fluke.
Pryor’s odd NFL journey
Terrelle Pryor was a huge superstar in college, the quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes who won numerous awards, including winning the MVP in the 2010 Rose Bowl. However, in his junior season, the NCAA learned that Pryor and some of his teammates had made money selling memorabilia and suspended them for the first five games of the next season. This caused Pryor to leave college but missed out on the 2011 NFL Draft. He was able to take part in the Supplemental Draft and ended up with the Oakland Raiders.
Raiders owner Al Davis wanted Terrelle Pryor to be the team’s starting quarterback and was the last player that Davis ever selected for his team. The NFL suspended Pryor for his actions in college for five games and then he returned and only played in one game as a rookie.
His performance was negligible in 2012 but he returned in 2013 as the starting quarterback after Oakland traded Carson Palmer to the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2013, Terrelle Pryor finally got a chance to show what he could do. He broke the Raiders team record for rushing by a quarterback with 112 yards against the Indianapolis Colts.
He lasted until Week 9, but a concussion early in the season and a sprained MCL cost him his starting role in Oakland and he was without a job after that. His numbers that season included a 57.4 completion percent, 1,798 passing yards, seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran for 576 yards and two touchdowns.
Pryor’s comeback
Terrelle Pryor tried to catch on with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 but was cut before the season started. He tried out with the Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs, but none of the teams signed him. In 2015, the Chiefs and Bengals signed him and both teams dropped him before training camp even rolled around. Finally, after two years out of the NFL, the Cleveland Browns signed him in 2015.
He played only one game in 2015 and worked as a wide receiver. After that, Terrelle Pryor decided to try to become a receiver in the NFL and give up the role of quarterback. His work paid off. Pryor won the starting receiver job in Cleveland and finished the season playing in all 16 games and catching 77 passes for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns.
When the Browns chose not to re-sign him, the Washington Redskins picked him up with a one-year, $8 million deal.
Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is very happy with what he has seen from Terrelle Pryor so far in training camp. According to Gruden, Pryor is one of the “top guys in the league” which is impressive since he just started playing the position. He called Pryor a “physical freak” and it looks like Terrelle will be the No. 3 target for the Redskins after Jamison Crowder and tight end Jordan Reed.
