March 06, 2017
If you're an NFL wide receiver with a heartbeat and opposable thumbs, there's a good chance that you have linked in some way to the Philadelphia Eagles in some way this offseason.
Add a new one to the list. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Eagles are among four teams (not including the Browns themselves) who interested in Pryor:
#Browns Terrelle Pryor drawing interest from #Giants, #Titans, #49ers and #Eagles, league sources said https://t.co/NsrxdOMXBh
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 6, 2017
Whenever you get a list of teams interested in a player like this, that's almost always coming from an agent. Typically, they tend to like to create the perception that their clients are in demand. Still, the Eagles' interest makes sense.
The Browns had two players who were potentially worthy of the franchise tag in Pryor and LB Jamie Collins. In theory, if both players remained unsigned up until the franchise tag deadline, the Browns would have only been able to tag one of them. With Collins having signed a long-term deal, many assumed (myself included) that the Browns would almost certainly use the tag on Pryor if they are not able to get a long-term deal done with him.
Wrong.
After a breakout season in which Pryor had 77 catches for 1007 yards and 4 TDs in Cleveland's dumpster fire offense, the Browns decided to allow Pryor to test the free agent waters.
"I think the reality at this point is if you’re not going to use the tag, the guy’s effectively in free agency and will be solicited by other teams through the week here in Indy," said Browns GM Sashi Brown on Wednesday at the Combine. "We’re realistic about that. We’ll work through the process with Terrelle and his representatives. He’s a priority. We won’t be panicked if things don’t work out and he’s not on our roster."
Pryor previously left an impression on Jim Schwartz, who admitted that Pryor caught him off guard Week 1 of the 2016 season. Leading up to the Eagles' first matchup against the Giants, Schwartz was asked how you defend a player like Odell Beckham. Schwartz responded that the Eagles faced quality receivers all season, beginning with Pryor as his first example.
"We've had some good receivers this year, really starting with Pryor," Schwartz explained. "He flew a little bit below the radar in that first game; made a couple of plays that I think that maybe we sort of looked as fluke plays. Now we've seen over the course of the season, they weren't fluke plays."
Pryor is an extraordinary athlete, but he is still learning the wide receiver position at age 27 (he'll be 28 in June) after being converted from quarterback. He has a high ceiling, but there's bust potential, in my view.
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