Terrelle Pryor has signed with the Cleveland Browns again, the team announced Wednesday. Pryor, who initially made the Browns' 53-man roster until he was released before the season started, will continue to play receiver.
However, Pryor will also serve as an emergency No. 3 quarterback, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The Browns placed starter Josh McCown on injured reserve, leaving Austin Davis and Johnny Manziel as the only two quarterbacks on the roster.
On Tuesday, Pryor confirmed that he would re-sign with Cleveland when he tweeted "Glad to be back to Ohio!!"
Pryor made the transition from quarterback to receiver this offseason after it became clear he wasn't going to stick at the former position at this level. But Pryor has always shown solid ability with the ball in his hands, and has the speed and acceleration to go one-on-one with defensive backs, so a move to wide receiver made the most sense.
Things were going very well for him early on in training camp as he made big catches and impressed the coaching staff, but injuries sidelined him for the bulk of the preseason and he didn't see any action at receiver. His athleticism was always apparent, but he was still raw at the position and wide receiver isn't an easy position to pick up in a short amount of time.
Still, that didn't stop Pryor from saying the Browns were making a mistake at the time of his release. During the season, Pryor continued to work out for teams, including the Seahawks, 49ers, Giants, Patriots and Jets. He was even set to meet with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday. In the end, he wound up back in Cleveland.
The 2-9 Browns are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. Their wide receiver corps has been banged up -- Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel sat out Monday night -- while free agent acquisition Dwayne Bowe has been a bust. He has only been active for five games and has just three catches for 31 yards.
Pryor was selected as a quarterback in the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft by the Raiders. He started 10 games for Oakland and completed just 56 percent of his passes with a 69.3 passer rating. He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks and has also spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. It was only after trying to stick with all of those teams that he started making the transition to wide receiver.
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