Cleveland Browns: 4 fastest falls from grace by a player
By Chad Porto
Terrel Pryor
A star quarterback in Pennsylvania, every school wanted him but his two picks were Penn State and Ohio State. Pryor took the road to Columbus and endured himself to the denizens of Ohio with his stellar play and gifted athleticism. After leaving OSU under some iffy circumstances, Pryor ended up in Oakland by way of the supplemental draft. He started his NFL career as a backup quarterback to the likes of Carson Palmer but after several years of poor play in relief, the Raiders and the rest of the NFL passed on Pryor as a quarterback.
Then he announced a position change. Pryor would become a wide receiver and would look to make an NFL team that way. The Cleveland Browns came calling and signed Pryor to a deal, but ultimately cut him and put him on their practice squad. After an injury near the end of the year opened up a roster spot, Pryor was called up. He only had one catch but it was a beautiful one and it got fans wondering what Pryor could do in a bigger role.
Cue the very next season where Pryor would not just emerge as a starter on the 2016 Cleveland Browns squad but their best playmaker on offense. Pryor had 77 receptions for 1,007 yards with guys like Cody Kessler, Josh McCown, and Robert Griffen IIII throwing him passes. Fans started to think that the sky was the limit for Pryor.
It wasn’t. Rock bottom was.
Pryor left Cleveland, which upset fans because he took less money to go play elsewhere. Pryor went on to absolutely stink in Washington. He had such a bad showing that the deal the Browns offered him seemed like a fantasy. Brief stints with the Bills and the Jets in 2018 was the last shot he’d seemingly get to stick in the NFL and he’s been out of football ever since.