Wednesday, Aug. 26 (PM) — The Browns’ Terrelle Pryor is no longer playing quarterback — officially, at least.
But backup quarterback Johnny Manziel’s pain could turn out to be Pryor’s gain in his attempt to win a roster spot.
Pryor was converted to wide receiver when he was signed by the Browns as a free agent in the offseason and is trying to make the team that way. But he has been sidelined for almost all of training camp and the first two preseason games with a hamstring problem. He’s going to try to get onto the field Saturday night in Tampa Bay for the dress rehearsal preseason game against the Buccaneers.
Under normal circumstances, Pryor would be a longshot to earn a place on the roster, and he might still be. However, what he has going for him now at this late stage is the elbow soreness that has sidelined — at least temporarily — Manziel. His status for Saturday seems iffy at best.
The Browns are already very thin at quarterback. Connor Shaw has been lost for the year due to injury, leaving Thaddeus Lewis as the only other quarterback other than starter Josh McCown. The club might be signing another quarterback soon, if only to take some practice reps for the remainder of the camp. The available quarterbacks aren’t going to make anyone forget Bernie Kosar. They are on the street for a reason.
The Browns like Pryor and the versatility he brings with the fact that, in addition to placing him all over the edge of the formation as a wideout, they can also line him up in the backfield as a runner and under center as a quarterback in the wildcat. They are looking at ways to find a spot on the roster for him, but the fact he has not played has really hurt his stead.
However, if he can get onto the field a little on Saturday and show that he’s healthy, the Browns might be more inclined to keep him as a wide receiver who can also serve as their third, or emergency, quarterback. In the NFL, the more you can do, the more valuable you are, and in that dual role, he would be enabling the Brown to save a roster spot.
We hate to keep banging on Browns General Manager Ray Farmer, but with Manziel’s situation possibly being more serious than the team wants to let on, he will really come under fire if Johnny Football is lost for an extended time. Farmer engineered a draft day trade in 2014 to move up four spots to take Manziel at No. 22 overall.
Manziel played little as a rookie last year, and when he did, he was awful. The offseason became a nightmare as well when he had to go into rehab.
He had been impressive in training camp and the preseason, giving hope that he might be ready to blossom. But with the elbow soreness and the uncertainty it brings, all bets are off.
The Browns’ top pick in 2014, cornerback Justin Gilbert, who was taken at No. 8, has been abysmal.
So Farmer was already in trouble because of that draft, and now it appears as if the situation might be getting worse.
But for Pryor at least, Manziel’s issues are a benefit. They give him a chance to make the team, and perhaps that’s more than he had entering this week.
By Steve King
