Cleveland Browns training camp Day 12: Hunting Buffalo

Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (87) plays catch on the sideline in a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Terrelle Pryor returned to practice on Saturday after missing the past week – including the preseason friendly against Washington – with a hamstring injury.

While Pryor should have some opportunities against Buffalo to show he can beat NFL cornerbacks who have been playing the position their entire lives while he has only been a wide receiver for a few weeks, time is not on his side.

“He is not guaranteed a spot, but I also wouldn’t write him off. He is still in-between,” Pettine said. “That sense of urgency now is ramped up. It is a tighter window to see it. We are certainly not going to hand him a spot based on potential. He has to show us. What he has showed us so far has been encouraging.”

“We are certainly not going to hand him a spot based on potential. He has to show us.” – Head coach Mike Pettine

The numbers are also not on Pryor’s side. Last season the Browns kept just five wide receivers and even if they bump that number up by one, Pryor is behind Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline, Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel and Travis Benjamin for sure, and possibly Vince Mayle and Darius Jennings.

When asked on Saturday, Pettine would not put a hard number on how many wide receivers the Browns will open the season with.

“When we get down to that discussion what you typically do is put down your position minimums,” he said. “What is that absolute minimums we can function with? Then you are picking the best football players from the pool. That way you are guaranteed to have your best 53.”

For his part, Pryor believes the time off helped his chances of making the roster.

“It is unfortunate I had a little hamstring injury, but the great thing is I have my legs under me,” he said on Saturday. “Even before coming to camp, 30 days straight for about a month when I made the transition, I was going every single day. My legs were pretty much dead coming into camp. Having that little break really helped me out. Maybe I can be even more explosive than what I showed.”

We shall see.

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