We asked the Twitterverse to weigh in on Cleveland WR Terrelle Pryor’s chances to breakout in 2016 and the results were not all that surprising.
On #Browns first official depth chart, Terrelle Pryor is listed as a starting WR. Will he breakout as a WR in 2016?
— Best NFL Polls (@Best_NFL_Polls) August 9, 2016
What HAS been surprising, though, is the way he has showed up so far in the preseason. 3 catches for 107 yards and 1 TD in less than a full game of play with long receptions of 49 yards and 50 yards. Watch those explosive plays again and you can start to see the potential impact he could have on this resurgent Cleveland offense.
Thinking this whole NFL wide receiver thing is going to work out for @TerrellePryor.#ATLvsCLEhttps://t.co/Ub8AuzntSn
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 19, 2016
ICYMI: @RGIII's 49-yard pass to a diving @TerrellePryor…
Beautiful. 🙌 #CLEvsGB https://t.co/J4QGIyh18l
— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2016
At the time, the majority of voters (40%) felt the former-Ohio State star was merely an acceptable placeholder until oft-maligned receiver Josh Gordon returned to the field in Week 5. Only 34% of voters felt Pryor was primed for a 2016 breakout. After his performance through two games (granted, they are preseason games), the Twitterverse has started to change it’s tune:
RGIII-to-Terrelle Pryor connection lookin good for second week in a row. Is this a preseason fluke or the real deal?
— Best NFL Polls (@Best_NFL_Polls) August 19, 2016
And rightfully so. With sub-4.4 speed at 6’5″ and 235 lbs, Pryor has always had the freakish athleticism that could allow him to dominate at nearly any position on the field, but it looks like another year as a receiver has made a world of a difference. “(I’m) 10 times (better than last year),” Pryor said after an OTA practice earlier this year, per Cleveland.com. “I look at the film and it amazes me, and I give that to (receivers coach Al) Saunders, because just sitting there and doing the extra meeting time with him and him really breaking down certain routes to me and how he wants them run, it’s awesome.”
Reports out of the Browns’ training camp have been positive and if his preseason performances are any indication, we will see more of Pryor in the 2016 highlight reel. If the offensive line can stay healthy and allow time for a confident RGIII to sit back and sling the ball to Pryor, Josh Gordon, promising rookie Corey Coleman, and tight end Gary Barnidge, we could be on the brink of a breakout not only for quarterback-turned-receiver Terrelle Pryor, but for this Cleveland team as a whole.