Terrelle Pryor finally made his debut with the Cleveland Browns. This felt like a long-time coming for the quarterback turned wide receiver. He has been dealing with a hamstring injury keeping him off the field for most of the preseason, but with roster cuts around the corner, Pryor needed Thursday's game to earn a spot. The issue is that he played more at quarterback than anything else.
Pryor's season debut was disappointing. He entered in the second half, getting no targets, no catches and just two carries from under center in a read-option formation. This was not what Pryor wanted as he battles to make the 53-man roster. Pryor switched positions to better his chances at playing in the league and instead he made his greatest impact at his old spot. However, that might be just what the Browns need from him.
"We had a list of things we wanted to take a look at with Terrelle," Browns coach Mike Pettine said, via ESPN.com. "There were a couple times that we had some routes called for him and whether it was protection or the quarterback came off too fast, we didn't get a chance to see him make a play."
The Browns have quarterback issues. Connor Shaw is on injured reserve. Johnny Manziel is dealing with chronic elbow pain. That leaves Josh McCown as the lone healthy player under center. Pryor can play both receiver and quarterback which might be needed in Cleveland. The Browns could opt to keep Pryor into the season with the idea that if McCown were to go down while Manziel is out, they have Pryor to jump in if needed. However, if they plan to use him only at receiver, Pryor is likely getting cut.
One player not on the chopping block is Dwayne Bowe. The receiver played into the third quarter on Thursday night which is unlikely for starters. That has drawn his future in to question, but Pettine is making it clear the veteran is going nowhere. With Brian Hartline as the other starter, Bowe simply needed reps after missing practice.
"Dwayne? No," Pettine said, via Cleveland.com. "He just needed to work, so that's why he was out there."
The Browns are hopeful the wide receiver tandem of Bowe and Hartline along with help from Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West are enough to push the talent of McCown. Pryor could help with that, but there is a slim chance he makes the final roster moving forward.
