Terrelle Pryor Released by Bengals: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

For the second time this offseason, Terrelle Pryor's NFL career has been put at a crossroads. The Cincinnati Bengals announced the release of the former Ohio State star on Thursday not long after news of his struggles in team minicamp became public.

Pryor, 25, signed with the Bengals last month after the Kansas City Chiefs released him. Reuniting with offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who coached the multitalented quarterback in Oakland, the move was seen as Pryor's best shot to revive his professional career.

Now, Pryor's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is informing teams Pryor is changing positions to wide receiver, according to Pro Football Talk.

Unfortunately, his Bengals tenure never got off the ground.

Pryor fell well behind AJ McCarron competing for the team's backup job and was even losing snaps to Josh Johnson, per Cole Harvey of ESPN.com. Johnson is a 29-year-old journeyman who has not thrown a pass since the 2011 season though he has previous experience in Cincinnati.

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Pryor, who emerged as a virtual dual threat in Oakland during his lone stint as a starter in 2013, was out of football last season after the Seattle Seahawks released him. He worked out for a number of teams during the season, but no one picked him up.

Kansas City and Cincinnati each gave him a chance this offseason, hoping he'd make progress as a passer, something Jackson said he put a lot of work into, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:

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At some point in time, life rewards you for the hard times and hopefully some day he'll find his reward. He's responded. He's here early. He stays late. He does everything you would want someone to do...He's more mature. He's come here from three different places and after a while when you're getting your butt kicked, you want it to end, and you're doing everything you can to put yourself in the best possible light with your teammates.

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While another team could give him a shot at quarterback based on physical ability—you can't teach his height (6'4") and speed—it's far more likely that the position change will increase the intrigue surrounding him for NFL teams. His skill set as a passer is specific to the point of needing an entire offense built around him. That three teams in the last 12 months have tried and failed to see him as a traditional backup quarterback is not a good sign. 

As Greg A. Bedard of the MMQB pointed out, Pryor arguably squandered the one legitimate quarterbacking opportunity he was given:

Pryor turns 26 on June 20, so it will be interesting to see what kind of value he presents to teams as a wide receiver as he attempts to learn the position from scratch.  

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.