The New York Jets went bargain hunting in the wide receiver free agent pool. They may have found their man in Terrelle Pryor.
Many New York Jets fans were hoping the team would splurge on a sexy free agent wide receiver at the dawn of free agency. While the team didn’t throw the farm at the position, they potentially found a diamond in the rough, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Free agent WR Terrelle Pryor is closing in on a deal with the #Jets, sources say. They are hammering out final details & should be done tonight. NYJ continues to rework its WRs room with Pryor, formerly of the #Browns and #Redskins.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 23, 2018
A former star quarterback at Ohio State, Terrelle Pryor has proven he has the chops to succeed as a wide receiver in this league. His best season came in 2016 when he exploded for 77 receptions 1,007 yards and four touchdowns with the Cleveland Browns.
While some would suggest he’s a one-hit wonder, if you look beyond the stats, you could blame the situation he was put in. Last year with the Washington Redskins was a dumpster fire. Pryor couldn’t find his way on the field, something that was out of his control and seems like a coaching deficiency.
Pryor provides something the Jets didn’t have on their roster prior to his arrival. That’s size (6-foot-4, 228 pounds) and upside. He’s only 28 years old, so he’s entering the prime of his career.
Hold on. The green and white are getting a young, hungry, motivated, potential No. 1 wide receiver? Sign me up, please.
The team’s current depth at wide receiver is fine, but fine doesn’t pay the bills. Robby Anderson is a nut case and likely facing a suspension for his incident-filled offseason, Quincy Enunwa is coming back from a serious neck injury, and Jermaine Kearse is a solid No. 2 or 3 option at best.
These Jets are in desperate need of a No. 1 wideout. They’ve had only two 1,000-yard receivers in the past decade. That’s embarrassing. Fun fact: Those two 1,000-yard receivers came in the same season back in 2015—and neither one, Brandon Marshall or Eric Decker, is still on the roster.
It seems like this is going to be another prove-it deal for Pryor. The Jets have caviar tastes with a tuna budget. While in theory, you get what you pay for, I think this will be a different outcome for the Jets.
Pryor has everything to prove after a forgettable 2017 season. A motivated player in a contract year is the exact kind of player the Jets are going to need on offense this season.
