The Cleveland Browns are heading into the upcoming offseason with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. It has been a long time since there was optimism surrounding the Browns’ franchise, although there is looking ahead to next season. One of the reasons for that optimism is the young talent that the Browns saw step up in the 2016 season.
Finding a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver was one of the biggest needs for the Browns this season. They were able to do that with former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who showed off star potential this season.
Pryor ended up catching 77 passes for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Those numbers have given the Browns hope that they have found their top receiver of the future. One problem that could arise for the Browns, is that Pryor is a free agent this offseason.
According to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS, the Browns are likely to place the franchise tag on Pryor this offseason to prevent him from signing elsewhere.
Browns are now very likely to place franchise tag on Pryor, who would be crazy to sign something now. As reported last week
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 23, 2017
At just 27-years-old, Pryor’s emergence has helped ease the frustration surrounding Josh Gordon. There is a very good chance that Gordon’s career with the Browns is over, even though he checked himself into rehab last season to help overcome the off-the-field problems that he has had. If that is indeed the case, then Pryor will be the uncontested No. 1 receiver on the depth chart for the Browns heading into the offseason.
Cleveland would be making a wise decision to place the franchise tag on Pryor. If they don’t, there will be a long line of teams interested in throwing a lucrative contract offer Pryor’s way.
There has been no news about whether the Browns will enter long-term contract discussions with Pryor this offseason. If they can get a long-term deal in place early on in the offseason, avoiding using the franchise tag on him would be ideal.
All of that being said, expect to see Pryor back in Cleveland next season one way or the other.
