Taking Flier on Terrelle Pryor a Low-Risk, High-Reward Prospect for Browns

Last week, the Cincinnati Bengals released fourth-string quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Almost immediately afterward, Pryor's agent Drew Rosenhaus contacted teams to inform them that Pryor will be switching positions to wide receiver, reported Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.

On Monday, the Cleveland Browns were awarded Pryor via waivers. In the press release, the team clearly stated, "Pryor will compete for a roster spot at wide receiver."

Never mind that the Browns receiving corps was already deep, with 12 others also looking to snag what may be no more than six spots when the roster is whittled down to 53 men in September.

Never mind that Pryor said a year ago, during his summertime stint with the Seattle Seahawks that, "I don't know how to catch. I don't know how to run the ball as a running back. I've been a quarterback my whole life."

He—with the help of Rosenhaus—decided it was time for a change.

The move might seem like a head-scratcher for a Browns offense that is still only 90 percent installed. Pryor can't even work out on-field with his new Cleveland teammates until July's training camp, having been signed after the team's mandatory minicamp closed last week. Perhaps it's simply fan service—no doubt a good deal of Browns fans support Ohio State's football team, from whence Pryor came. 

But no matter the reasoning, this is the perfect time of year for the Browns to take a flier on Pryor. The risk is low and the reward potential is high. And even if Pryor does not meet that potential, the Browns won't be out much money, nor will they have sacrificed a top roster spot to keep him around.

Pryor is now on the bottom of Cleveland's 90-man roster, an area in constant flux this time of year. June was made for signings like this.

Pryor's career arc in the NFL is well-known at this point. He withdrew from Ohio State in June 2011 amid the NCAA's investigation of the university for providing improper benefits to some members of the football team, including Pryor.

He was then declared eligible for that year's supplemental draft, held in August, and was ultimately selected in Round 3 by the Oakland Raiders. Pryor was then suspended for the first five games of the season by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for his involvement in the NCAA scandal.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

It took until 2013 for Pryor to nail down the starting quarterback job in Oakland, beating out Matt Flynn and Tyler Wilson. He appeared in 11 games that year, starting nine, and completed 57.4 percent of his 272 pass attempts for 1,798 yards, seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while being sacked 31 times. He also rushed 83 times for 576 yards and two scores.

Injuries and poor play resulted in Pryor being benched late in the season in favor of Matt McGloin. He was then traded to the Seahawks in 2014 for a seventh-round draft pick and was released in late August of that year.

He spent five months in the 2015 offseason with the Kansas City Chiefs before the Bengals snagged him off of waivers in May. He lasted just over one month in Cincinnati before he hit the waiver wire again and became a newly minted Browns receiver.

Though Pryor claimed to have no experience catching the football last year, his former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is confident he can pick up the nuances of the position. Tressel spoke to WHBC in Canton, Ohio, about Pryor on Thursday (via Pro Football Talk):

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If anyone can, he can [make the switch]. He certainly has tremendous athletic ability and a passion to help wherever he can be helpful. So if anyone can do it, he can. ...

He's got to pay close attention and understand that he's in a new world and he's got to assume that he knows nothing. He's also got to take the advantage of having been the guy under center, with the knowledge there, but he's also got to learn the intricacies of playing another position, and just understand that he's starting from the beginning and work hard every day and believe in himself.

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But where Tressel sees opportunity for Pryor, there are also drawbacks.

For one, he's heading into a Cleveland training camp that features not only receivers who are already prepared in terms of the playbook, but also experienced in the NFL. It's hard to imagine a green receiver like Pryor beating out Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline or even rookie Vince Mayle, who may be hurt, but who also has a lifetime of experience catching passes.

The MMQB's Emily Kaplan is also skeptical about Pryor's ability to quickly switch positions:

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I think I have a hard time imagining Terrelle Pryor making it in the NFL as a wide receiver. The quarterback had been reluctant to the switch positions for years, and his sudden announcement reeks as a last-ditch effort to salvage his career after being discarded by his fourth team in five years (to be more specific, he was actually traded once and cut three times over the past 15 months). ...

Though he looks the part—he's 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, with long arms—wideout is a nuanced position that requires more than a certain body type and blazing speed. Molding Pryor into a receiver, at age 26, will be a huge undertaking and require tremendous patience. I don't see him lasting.

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But, that's the thing (at least from the Browns' perspective): Pryor doesn't have to last on the roster. He's essentially there as a glorified tryout player, and the Browns have not yet seen one clear example of how Pryor could successfully transition to wideout.

They can afford to kick the tires on him because rosters are so deep during this time of the year. They likely would not have made this move if, say, the Bengals had released Pryor in October instead, as spots on the 53-man roster are far more valuable.

If Pryor proves to be a diamond in the rough, great. But the Browns would have no patience for digging through that rough later in the year. Patience, as Kaplan noted, is the one thing Pryor needs if he really thinks he can salvage his NFL career by moving to receiver. He can at least get that patience out of the Browns right now.

At the most, the Browns will be down $660,000 if Pryor does not pan out. They haven't invested in him for the long term, and his veteran minimum contract means that the Browns won't be agonizing over whether or not to release him once it's time to make that decision.

Ultimately, some team was going to take a chance on Pryor. For the Browns, the signing could potentially help their offense. But if it doesn't, the negative impact on the team is practically non-existent. The signing is no different from any other that teams make this time of year. The only difference is the name recognition.