Rams are reportedly interested in Terrelle Pryor, who would be a perfect fit
Cameron DaSilva
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
After trading a second-round pick and E.J. Gaines to acquire him, the Los Angeles Rams will now have to replace Sammy Watkins after just one season. He signed a massive contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, which will pay him $48 million over three years, including $30 million guaranteed.
That was far too much money for the Rams to spend on him, especially considering they didn’t even feel comfortable giving him $15.98 million for one year with the franchise tag.
As it stands, they’ll have Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds as their starters – a strong unit with which to work. There’s still plenty of time between now and Week 1, so rest assured the Rams will look at all avenues and options at wide receiver.
One of those options is Terrelle Pryor.
The Rams are reportedly interested in the former Browns and Redskins receiver, who’s hitting the market after one abysmal season in Washington. He caught just 20 passes for 240 yards and one touchdown with the Redskins in 2017 after signing a one-year, $8 million deal last offseason.
His price tag is likely to come in well below that this time around because of mild concerns about his ability to be a consistent receiver at the next level. The Rams won’t break open the piggybank to bring him to Los Angeles, but as a one-year option, he makes a lot of sense.
Pryor had a great season in 2016 with the Browns, catching 77 passes for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns. He did all that while playing with the likes of Cody Kessler, Josh McCown and Robert Griffin III at quarterback. Not exactly the best group to be catching passes from.
There’s belief that he can get back to those numbers in an offense that better suits his style of play. In Washington, he ran a boatload of out-breaking routes, limiting the space with which he had to work. In Cleveland, he was more of a deep threat, who was also put in spots to make defenders miss in the open field.
Oh, and he has the athleticism to beat out defenders in jump-ball situations.
With the Rams, he could fill a similar role to that of Watkins’. He has the size and speed to win downfield, while also the elusiveness to gain valuable yardage after the catch. There’s little doubt that Sean McVay could find ways to get him the football in the Rams’ offense, which is predicated on Jared Goff hitting open receivers.
It’s not an offense that focuses on one player, which would certainly take the pressure off of Pryor. He can be a complementary piece outside to Woods and Kupp, while also serving as a deep threat.
Pryor might just be the Rams’ best free agent option at this point.
