Terrelle Pryor: Don't Be Surprised If Raiders Get Pryor Involved Right Away

Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been a member of the Oakland Raiders for more than a month now.

Realistically, though, Pryor won't really be a member of the Oakland Raiders until after the team wraps up their Week 5 tilt at the Houston Texans. At that point, Pryor's five-game suspension that was upheld at the end of September will be over.

As ESPN first told the tale, Pryor was only going to be allowed to do work at the team's facilities and with Raiders coaches during his suspension. Once the suspension is over, he will be allowed to practice with the Raiders, and he will also be allowed to play in games.

Conceivably, this means we could see Pryor make his NFL debut as soon as Week 6, when the Raiders host the Cleveland Browns.

Now, common sense suggests that there's virtually no chance of this actually happening. Just because Pryor can play doesn't mean that he will play, as he will have a lot of catching up to do once he actually starts practicing. It's going to be a while before Pryor is up to speed.

This is true. However, I don't think it would be much of a shock if Raiders head coach Hue Jackson found a way to get Pryor involved right away.

The reason I say this is because Jackson is not a conventional coach, and he does not run a conventional offense. The Raiders do most of their work on the ground, yes, but Jackson has a number of explosive weapons at his disposal and he likes to use them when it pleases him. It's not uncommon to see end-arounds to Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore, and it's definitely worth noting that Jackson called not one, but two flea flickers on Sunday against the Texans.

Pryor may not be an NFL quarterback, but he is certainly a weapon. He's big, he's fast, and we know from his body of work at Ohio State that he can make plays. These are things Jackson can use, and I for one think he will use them.

Just to make sure we're all clear, I'm not suggesting that Pryor is going to become a regular feature in Oakland's offense. If Jackson does decide to use him, it will likely only be for one play per game. Maybe two, if Pryor is lucky.

And this how things would go for the rest of the 2011 season. I don't think Pryor will supplant Kyle Boller as the No. 2 quarterback, and he certainly won't supplant Jason Campbell as the No. 1. I suspect he'll be more like a Brad Smith than an actual quarterback.

From where I'm sitting, that wouldn't be a bad thing.