EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 14: Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor #16 of the New York Jets celebrates his touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 14, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Bills have signed Terrelle Pryor, and he’s automatically their best available option to play quarterback.
The Buffalo Bills are plumbing the depths at quarterback, with Josh Allen (elbow) out for a little longer, Nathan Peterman simply inept and now Derek Anderson (concussion) out. Peterman has been named the starter against the Chicago Bears in Week 9, but the Bills also signed wide receiver Terrelle Pryor on Tuesday.
Pryor was a good dual threat quarterback over three seasons at Ohio State. A position switch in the NFL became the best course though, and he hasn’t played under center on a full-time basis since starting nine games for the Oakland Raiders in 2013. He had a 1,000-yard season as a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in 2016, which was quite a feat, but injuries have derailed him since then.
Going back to Peterman was an injury-driven necessity for Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott. But the arrival of Pryor brings another option into fold. Not that it takes much, but he’s also a better option than Peterman by a good margin.
It’s telling that McDermott did not dismiss the notion of Pryor playing quarterback. He can probably learn a little of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s playbook in the coming days, and at least function in any potential Wildcat packages for a few snaps.
But with the precedent of Anderson, who started just 12 days after signing with the Bills, learning the full playbook may not be a requirement for Pryor to get the start and play a full slate of snaps against the Bears on Sunday. He also adds a real threat as a runner, which Peterman can’t offer on top of how bad he is as a pure passer.
Pryor is probably Buffalo’s best wide receiver now, which is a sad commentary in itself. But he’s also their best healthy option to play quarterback, which was easy to realize with how feeble Peterman has looked.