While the Cleveland Browns are possibly working on incorporating recently conditionally-reinstated wide receiver Josh Gordon into their offense—which is still at least a few weeks off—it seems that the front office was perfectly aware of their shortcomings on that side of the ball.
On the heels of the catastrophic trade-that-wasn’t when the Browns botched their acquisition of quarterback AJ McCarron, Mary Kay Cabot reported yesterday that the team also attempted to acquire a wide receiver in advance of the trade deadline. One they are already rather familiar with: Terrelle Pryor.
The former Ohio State quarterback had something of a breakout season for Cleveland last year, which helped earn him a nice little payout on a one-year deal with Washington, though he has failed to live up to expectations there.
Cabot says that the Browns pursued Pryor, but Washington was not interested in dealing him, in spite of his troubles to get off the ground in his new home. He has 20 receptions for only 240 yards and one touchdown through eight games.
As she noted in the article, Cleveland would have only been on the hook for about $1.5 million of his $6 million contract, half of which was a signing bonus. Half the season is already over and has already been paid by the original team, for which the Browns would not be responsible.
The Browns envisioned a ‘dream’ trio last season of Pryor, Gordon, and Corey Coleman, their first-round pick in 2016, at the wide receiver position. They currently have none of them on the field.
Pryor is, of course, otherwise occupied on another team after the team was unwilling to sign him to a more costly contract. Gordon is in the process of working his way back onto the field for the first time since the 2014 season due to a litany of suspensions.
Coleman, meanwhile, has suffered his second hand injury in as many years, this one having put him on injured reserve, though they are hoping to be able to get him back shortly to pair with a thoroughly uninspiring group of targets, including the disappointing free agent acquisition, Kenny Britt.
Cabot said that sources told her Pryor would not have been opposed to the trade. Presumably, he is not thrilled with his struggles in Washington, but he also already has a rapport with Browns head coach Hue Jackson, who was instrumental in his transition.
Jackson was still the offensive coordinator with the Bengals when Cincinnati as he began his transition to wide receiver. The Raiders drafted Pryor while he was the head coach there in 2011, so the two have quite an intertwined history.
