Terrelle Pryor

Browns Links: Manziel, Pryor, Johnson

The latest on the Browns:

  • While backup quarterback Johnny Manziel looked much better than starter Josh McCown during Thursday’s game against Buffalo, don’t expect the two to flip-flop on the depth chart. Bud Shaw of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes that Manziel lost a lot of trust within the organization as a rookie last year and it’s going to take more than solid preseason work to unseat McCown.
  • Terrelle Pryor, who’s in the incipient stages of his career as a wide receiver after switching from quarterback in June, is far from a shoo-in to make the Browns’ roster. The hamstring injury that has bothered the fifth-year man for nearly all of August isn’t helping his cause, according to head coach Mike Pettine. “He’s not guaranteed a spot,” Pettine said Saturday, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. “He’s got to play, and that window narrows every day he’s not out there.”
  • Fellow Browns wideout Dwayne Bowe seems a lot more bullish about Pryor than Pettine does.  “He’s a specimen,” Bowe said Saturday, according to ESPN’s Pat McManamon. “You’ve got to have a guy like that on the field.” 
  • Like Pryor, third-round rookie Duke Johnson has also been felled by a hamstring this month. But, despite sitting out most of August and both of Cleveland’s preseason games, the ex-Miami Hurricane is still confident he can be the Browns’ starting running back as early as Week 1. “I feel like I can (start) but that’s not my decision,” he told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “If I’m not that starting guy, just know whoever is that starting guy, that’s the man for the job because we came out here and competed and we push each other to be the best.”  The Browns are hoping to get some Johnson on the field for their next preseason game. Pettine stated that “the next two weeks are big for Duke.”

Extra Points: Steelers, Mathis, Pryor, Bills

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

  • Considering the Steelers refusal to renegotiate contracts prior to the final year of a player’s current deal, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com wonders if Antonio Brown could potentially hold out in the future.
  • Seahawks coach Pete Carroll referred to Evan Mathisvisit with the organization as a “physical,” according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (via Twitter). This could be an indication that a deal is imminent.
  • Browns wideout (and former quarterback) Terrelle Pryor hasn’t had much of an opportunity to hit the field this summer due to injuries, and according to Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com (via Twitter), head coach Mike Pettine said the receiver’s chance of making the team decreases every day he’s not out there.
  • The Bills are auditioning free agent wideout Austin Willis, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Several teams are reportedly interested in the former Emporia State standout, who was cut by the Raiders earlier this week.
  • Rex Ryan said there is a “high possibility” that the Bills keep all three of their quarterbacks, writes Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com. The team also hasn’t decided who will start among Tyrod Taylor, Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel“We haven’t decided yet who’s starting at QB next week,” Ryan said. “We’ll rotate all three in this week.”

Sunday Roundup: Levy, Incognito, Fitzpatrick, Pryor, Bowers

While Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy is working on his own extension, Bobby Wagner‘s new contract has set a new bar for non-pass rushing linebackers in the NFL. Despite that big number, Levy remains focused on football, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.

“My agent is the negotiator, I’m the football player. I even try to stay out of it now. If something significant happens, send me a text or something,” said Levy. “My focus has never been on that, it’s about getting ready for the season, year in and year out. Whatever happens, happens.”

Here are some more notes from around the NFL this Sunday evening:

  • The Bills have had their share of issues along the offensive line over recent years–including this offseason–but hopefully a player with his own baggage can help solidify things as head coach Rex Ryan has announced Richie Incognito will start at left guard for the Bills, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
  • Staying with the AFC East, Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing well despite watching as Geno Smith takes the majority of first-team reps for the Jets, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. “The thing we stress every day and Coach [Todd] Bowles stresses is he going to put the best guys on the field to help the team win,” Fitzpatrick said. “That is what we are all here for, to win football games.”
  • One of the most interesting storylines in Browns’ camp this offseason is whether or not Terrelle Pryor can complete the position change to wide receiver. The 6’4″ former quarterback has roughly a 50/50 chance of making the team as a wideout, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com.
  • Buccaneers defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers has played both defensive end and defensive tackle in previous years in Tampa Bay, but head coach Lovie Smith says he will be locked in as an interior lineman in 2015, writes Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).

AFC North Notes: Steelers, Dalton, Ravens, Pryor

As training camps are inching closer and closer, Mark Kaboly of TribLive.com takes a quick look at the key additions, key losses, and training camp goals of each AFC North team. The Steelers, Bengals, and Ravens all have top goals on the defensive side of the ball, while the Browns predictably are focused on finding a quarterback between Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel.

Here are some deeper looks into each of the AFC North teams:

  • Kaboly’s colleague Chris Adamski takes an extended look into the Steelers’ roster, trying to figure out what the final roster will be. He separates the players into locks, on the bubble, and on the outside, while giving some thoughts on what the team will do. The big names on the bubble include Darrius Heyward-Bey and Cam Thomas.
  • Four consecutive playoff berths and an 0-4 record in the playoffs has left Bengals’ fans with a polarizing opinion of Andy Dalton. When it comes to whether he has what it takes, Cincinnati.com writers are split, with Paul Dehner Jr. skeptical and Jim Owczarski remaining optimistic he can still develop into a top-10 quarterback.
  • The Ravens made the playoffs based on the strength of their running game and run defense, and John Eisenberg of BaltimoreRavens.com believes that strength in those areas will be the key to whether they can reach the playoffs again this year. Losing running-game guru Gary Kubiak from the coaching staff and perennial Pro-Bowler Haloti Ngata from the defense will make it difficult, but the team is committed to the running game on both sides of the ball.
  • The Browns have reclamation project at wide receiver, in converted quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Other than a few special packages early in his college career, it has been infrequent to see him line up on the outside of the formation. Pryor has been working with Antonio Brown, Randy Moss, and Josh Gordon while preparing for training camp, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. She also pulls some of his training videos from Instagram and Twitter showing his offseason progress.

Sunday Roundup: Chargers, Kalil, Pryor

As the stadium saga in Los Angeles continues to unfold, more and more speculative pieces are written in an effort to uncover the intentions of the primary players in the drama and to predict how the league’s landscape will be altered within the next couple of years. Matt Calkins of The San Diego Union-Tribune, for instance, writes that Chargers counsel Michael Fabiani, whose negotiating tactics have made him widely-loathed by Chargers fans and San Diego officials, has a method to his madness.

As Calkins writes, the NFL does not really care which team or teams end up in Los Angeles, as long as it is satisfied that whatever arrangement ultimately unfolds maximizes the league’s profits. So if Rams owner Stan Kroenke ends up moving his team to LA, and stadium negotiations are going well in San Diego but poorly in Oakland, the league may decide that the Raiders should join the Rams in LA, leaving the Chargers with no leverage in its talks with San Diego.

Therefore, it is important for Fabiani that discussions with the city not go too well at the moment, even if it makes him appear arrogant and diabolical. And if the team ends up staying in San Diego, it is likely that most Chargers fans would be willing to forgive and forget.

Now let’s have a look at some links from around the league:

  • Speaking of the Los Angeles dilemma, David Garrick of The San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the Chargers, who have made nine unsuccessful relocation proposals across San Diego County since 2003, have ostensibly met the league’s relocation criteria of exhausting all local options, which gives the team a strong argument in support of its potential move to LA. However, that argument may not have as much weight as the Chargers hope, as critics of the move say that “many of the stadium proposals were flimsy, the time period included the worst recession in 70 years and public support for a stadium had been poisoned by the infamous Chargers ‘ticket guarantee’ at Qualcomm stadium.”
  • Matt Kalil will get every chance to keep his starting left tackle job in 2015, but as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes, if Kalil is fully healthy this year yet continues to struggle, the Vikings will have a hard time bringing him back at his $11.1MM option figure.
  • Even though Terrelle Pryor has stated his intention to move from quarterback to wide receiver, and even though the Browns explicitly stated that Pryor would try out for the team as a wide receiver, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com believes that we will see Pryor under center at some point in training camp. Grossi notes, however, that he is only expressing an opinion and has not heard anything to that effect from the organization.
  • John Keim of ESPN.com believes that Logan Paulsen will likely make Washington‘s final roster, as he is the best blocking tight end on the team and therefore serves as a nice complement to Niles Paul. However, Keim writes that Washington remains interested in adding to its tight end corps.
  • Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union projects playing time for each of the Jaguars newcomers on defense and wonders if time has already run out on receiver Bryan Walters. Walters was signed as a free agent in March, but missed most of the team’s OTAs due to a hamstring injury. His best chance to make the team is by winning the punt return job over Ace Sanders and Tandon Doss, but without a long resume to lean on, he needs to be on the field.

 

NFL Quotes: Raiders, Pryor, Vikings, Packers

With OTAs finished, it’s been relatively slow in the NFL world (luckily we have the Tom Brady saga to distract us temporarily). Even with a lack of news, various beat reporters have still been able to come away with some excellent sound clips, and we’ve compiled those for you below…

Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave on team’s offense (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com):

“We made some strides, but we have a long way to go. That’s probably the understatement of the year. … We have our moments, but we have to be much more consistent. I think we all recognize and acknowledge that. That will be our goal, of course, going up there to training camp so we can get good in a hurry.”

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on Terrelle Pryor‘s quest to become a wideout (via WHBC in Canton, Ohio; quote via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com):

“If anyone can, he can. He certainly has tremendous athletic ability and a passion to help wherever he can be helpful. So if anyone can do it, he can. And, he could be the bonus of, he can be the team’s third quarterback, and that way they only have to carry two, which gives you a chance to have one more good player on special teams or whatever else. So I think he could be a bonus.”

Vikings wideout Charles Johnson on his job security (via Master Tesfatsion of the Minneapolis Star Tribune):

“In this business, you’re never secure. You never want to lie down and say, ‘Hey, I made it.’ I’m always working, and we’re always working together. Nobody here has been handed anything, and we’re just ready to come out here and work and become the best players we can be.”

Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari on his interactions with Aaron Rodgers (via Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin):

“I didn’t really talk to Aaron. I was like, ‘If he speaks to me, I’ll speak to him.’ If he didn’t speak to me, I didn’t want to go up to him unless he wanted to engage in a conversation.”

Browns Claim Terrelle Pryor

3:57pm: The Browns have officially announced the Pryor claim, confirming that he’ll compete as a wide receiver in training camp. Defensive back Landon Feichter was waived by the team in a corresponding move.

3:27pm: After being cut last week by the Bengals, Terrelle Pryor was set to become a free agent today, but the former Raider didn’t make it through waivers to reach the open market. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), Pryor will remain in the AFC North, having been claimed off waivers by the Browns.

Pryor, who turned 26 on Saturday, has appeared in 15 games – all with the Raiders – since his NFL career began in 2011, combining for 12 touchdowns (nine passing, three rushing) and 12 interceptions. After he was waived by the Bengals last week, however, Pryor decided to make the transition from quarterback to wide receiver, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Presumably, the Browns claimed Pryor with an eye on trying him exclusively at wide receiver. While the team doesn’t exactly have a stable quarterback situation, the same can be said of the wide receiver position, where Josh Gordon is set to miss the entire 2015 season due to a suspension.

The Browns added veterans Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline in free agency to go along with rookie fourth-rounder Vince Mayle and incumbents like Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, and Travis Benjamin. There’s no one in that group with Gordon’s upside, but with those six players – plus six more – in the mix heading into training camp, there may not be room on the regular season roster for a project like Pryor. Still, Cleveland will at least get the first look at Pryor as a wideout, as the team attempts to determine whether he might develop into a real contributor.

Pryor’s move from Cincinnati to Cleveland comes shortly after he posted videos of himself participating in the Bengals’ minicamp practice on social media, something the club isn’t happy about, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Pryor has since taken down the videos.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Browns, Raiders, Steelers

The Chiefs went through both voluntary and mandatory minicamp sans holdout Justin Houston, but head coach Andy Reid isn’t concerned about the star linebacker’s status going forward.

“There’s a lot of rules and regulations but I don’t get caught up in that — that’s what Dorse (general manager John Dorsey) does. I have trust in both sides, actually, that they’ll get something done,” Reid told Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

The Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Houston after he led the NFL in sacks last year with 22, but he hasn’t signed his one-year, $13.1MM tender and the two sides have until July 15 to strike a long-term deal. Otherwise, the Chiefs’ best hope is that Houston eventually signs his tender and reports in time for the 2015 season. As a nonexclusive franchise player, another team could sign Houston to a deal, which would give the Chiefs the right to match it or let him go in exchange for two first-round picks from the other club.

Here’s the latest on some of the Chiefs’ AFC brethren:

  • Given his size (6-foot-4, 233 pounds) and speed, Terrelle Pryor‘s conversion from quarterback to wide receiver could pique some teams’ interest. The Browns won’t be one of them, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com tweeted.
  • Real estate developer Floyd Kephart faces a Monday deadline in his bid to provide proof to the city of Oakland, the Raiders and Oakland-Alameda County that his proposed new stadium plan is making progress, writes Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. Scott McKibben, the executive director of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, is optimistic. “We are hopeful we will see what we need to see,” McKibben sid. “This is an important benchmark deadline.” 
  • The Steelers’ second-ranked passing offense picked apart opposing defenses last year, and it could be more of the same this season – especially if wide receiver Markus Wheaton‘s transition from the outside to the slot goes well. “He is super fast and quick, and that’s what you need because you are facing that third corner or linebacker a lot,” Steelers wideout Antonio Brown told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. “On third downs, nine times out of 10 that’s where the ball is going to go. It’s just about being on the same page with Ben (Roethlisberger).”

Bengals Waive Pryor, Who Will Convert To WR

8:15pm: Pryor is converting to wide receiver, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk). Teams will be interested in Pryor’s services, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, as he has ideal size (6-foot-4, 233 pounds) and speed (sub-4.4 40-yard dash) to succeed at wideout.

Making Pryor’s position switch all the more interesting is a comment he made when he signed with the Bengals last month.

“If I can’t play quarterback, I can’t play football – I’m pretty much done,” Pryor said, per ESPN’s Coley Harvey (Twitter link).

Nevertheless, Pryor will try his hand at a new spot in hopes of extending his football career.

4:26pm: The Bengals have waived quarterback Terrelle Pryor, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).

The 25-year-old Pryor joined the Bengals, his fourth team, in May and was hoping to win a backup job behind Andy Dalton. However, the ex-Ohio State star lost out to A.J. McCarron and Josh Johnson. With Pryor out of the picture, McCarron is likely to be Dalton’s primary backup, tweets Dehner.

Pryor has appeared in 14 games – all with the Raiders – since his NFL career began in 2011, combining for 12 touchdowns (nine passing, three rushing) and 12 interceptions.

Bengals Sign Terrelle Pryor, Four Others

Following his release from the Chiefs last week, former Ohio State standout Terrelle Pryor has landed with the Bengals, who also announced the signing of four more players:

  • Mario Alford, WR
  • Erick Dargan, DB
  • John Peters, TE
  • Kalafitoni Pole, DT

The 25-year-old Pryor is obviously the biggest name in the group, and now he’ll compete to be Cincinnati’s backup quarterback behind starter Andy Dalton. Pryor, who tried out for the Bengals on Friday during the club’s rookie minicamp, hasn’t appeared in a NFL game since 2013, when he started nine games for the Raiders. Jason Campbell, the Bengals’ No. 2 QB last season, remains unsigned, so Pryor will compete with 2014 draft pick A.J. McCarron for the backup position.

While three of the players listed above are undrafted free agents, Alford was selected by the Bengals in the seventh round of last week’s draft. The West Virginia product, who will compete to act as a reserve receiver while also angling for time on special teams, should be in line for a four-year deal worth about $2.34MM, according to Over the Cap’s rookie pool estimates.

In addition to today’s signings, Cincinnati also released tight end Kevin Brock, who appeared in 14 games for the club last season.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.