Terrelle Pryor has made the Browns 53-man roster as a receiver and Terrance West is still on team. Vince Mayle has been cut.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns took a leap of faith and put unproven receiver Terrelle Pryor on the 53 man roster Saturday.
He's listed as a wide receiver, but he can also serve as the third quarterback if the Browns see fit.
After cutting backup quarterbacks Thad Lewis and Pat Devlin saturday, the Browns are down to two quarterbacks on the roster in Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel -- and Manziel is suffering from tendinitis in his elbow, a source of angst for Mike Pettine heading into the opener.
Pryor (6-4, 223) played quarterback for three seasons in Oakland, including two when current Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo was his quarterbacks coach.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer and Pettine were not available to the media Saturday -- and Pettine did not address Pryor making the roster in a release sent out by the team that included some quotes from him only.
In fact, Pettine didn't even mention Pryor's name when commenting on the seven receivers on the squad.
"We felt that was a spot we needed to add to and were fortunate in the offseason to be able to take a group we already felt good about in (Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel and Travis Benjamin) and add a Dwayne Bowe and a Brian Hartline to that mix," Pettine said. "It was a group we felt we needed to improve our quality and our depth and we were able to do that."
Pettine also didn't address reports that Browns running back Terrance West, their 2014 third-round pick and rushing leader from last year, was in jeopardy of getting waived and that the Browns fielded offers for him. A source told Northeast Ohio Media Group that West wasn't safe heading into the final cuts, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported that the Browns engaged in trade talks with the Cowboys, but the Browns were asking too much.
Pettine cautioned, however, that the Browns won't be big players in the waiver and free agent markets over the next days.
"Obviously the roster is still fluid, but I don't see us being extremely active in that market," Pettine said. "With the depth we were able to bring in and develop, we feel virtually every position we have enough or more than enough NFL quality guys. It's a critical time but I just don't see us being really active."
With third-round running back Duke Johnson still in the concussion protocol, the Browns might still look to add a running back over the next few days. Isaiah Crowell will likely start the opener against the Jets, but the Browns could still use some help if Johnson isn't ready.
They really like third-year back Shaun Draughn, but his thumb injury set him back and cost him a roster spot Saturday. He'll likely be on their short list of running backs if they need to add. It remains to be seen if the Browns will trade or cut West, but the position is still a work in progress.
Three other notable cuts were rookie receiver Vince Mayle, their fourth round pick out of Washington State, first-year pro Josh Lenz, the fan favorite from Iowa State, and rookie linebacker Hayes Pullard, their seventh-round pick from Southern California.
All will be candidates for the practice squad if they clear waivers by Sunday. Mayle, the big body guy (6-2, 225) for whom the Browns had high hopes, never fully rebounded from thumb surgery in May and was inconsistent all camp. He needs time to develop, but it remains to be seen if that will take place here.
Lenz led the Browns with 108 receiving yards in preseason and tied for the team-high with seven catch. He developed nice chemistry with Manziel, and also led the club with a 15.4-yard average.
Lenz' departure touched off a firestorm social media from fans who were miffed he was cut. He also received high praise from teammates such as Donte Whitner.
A few notable players who made the team were receiver Dwayne Bowe, defensive lineman Billy Winn, sixth-round rookie cornerback Charles Gaines, kicker Travis Coons, defensive lineman Jamie Meder and undrafted rookie tight end E.J. Bibbs.
Bowe was never in jeopardy of making the team because of his $9 million guarantee, but other receivers surpassed him on the depth chart while he missed most of camp with his strained hamstring. Winn admitted after the preseason finale that he was sweating out the final cuts and hoping to stick around.
Gaines, out of Louisville, came on strong in the second half of camp and clinched a spot with an outstanding game in Tampa, where he intercepted a pass and broke up several others to veteran receiver Vincent Jackson. He's one of 11 defensive backs on the team and will likely play once he recovers from a hamstring injury.
"We're always going to start from the back end, especially at the corner spot first and build from the outside in," Pettine said. "We have a group that we were fortunate to be able to add a quality veteran in Tramon Williams and outside of Gaines, we feel that group is close to being healthy. We like the key veterans and combine it with quality youth. It's another room where we feel like we have a lot of different types of players in that room."
Coons is the kicker unless the Browns see a veteran they like better, and Meder, the Parma Heights native and Ashland alum, won over the coaching staff with his high motor.
"That was big with Meder stepping up. That's like found money," Pettine said. "He's a guy that was undrafted a year ago that we were able to add mid-season and then for him to step up and have the offseason he had and make a big jump, that was impressive.
"You add that to our rookie class with Danny (Shelton) and Xavier (Cooper) and then add veterans like (Randy) Starks. Desmond (Bryant) had one of his better offseasons -- he seems primed to have a big year -- and the versatility of an Armonty Bryant that can swing back and forth between outside linebacker and defensive line, that gives you more depth there. We feel much better about that room."
Bibbs, the only undrafted rookie to make the team, showed enough to stick around at least in the early going. Free agent pickup Rob Housler, who improved as camp wore on, also made the roster for a total of four tight ends.
"That whole group top to bottom did a really good job in camp," Pettine said. "Brian Angelichio is an outstanding position coach. I think Gary's very underrated as a starting tight end. I think everybody kind of has their own niche as far as what they do well. I like the depth in that room and the diversity of the skill sets."
Pettine provided some clues that he was leaning toward keeping Pryor after the preseason finale Thursday night in Chicago, during which Pryor played receiver, quarterback and personal punt protector in his preseason debut.
"Anytime you can have a guy that can run, that can throw, that can protect, I just think it changes the mindset defensively a little bit,'' said Pettine, who knows what gives a defense fits.
On Friday, however, Pettine acknowledged it would be 'a leap of faith' to keep the inexperienced wideout on the team.
"It is a project to take a guy that has played quarterback for the vast majority of his football career,'' said Pettine. "Even if he had stayed completely healthy, I don't know if we would have all the results in or feel 100 percent comfortable. Even if he had gone the whole time and not gotten injured, it certainly it would be a leap of faith."
Pryor -- who missed most of camp with a strained hamstring -- didn't have a pass thrown his way that night, but he ran his routes with authority, he proved a tenacious blocker and ran the read-option twice, keeping the ball both times for runs of 5 and 4 yards. When his 15-18 snaps were up, his 4.5-yard rushing average was tops on the team, better than West's 3.9-yard average on his nine carries.
"To be out there competing against different guys and getting my chance to put my hands on different guys -- guys who aren't our teammates -- I had a good time,'' said Pryor.
Lewis said of Pryor after the game, "the guy has a knack for football. He's physically gifted, so he has the opportunity to be great. He just has to keep working at it.''
Before the outing, Pryor stressed that he didn't want anything handed to him. He worked hard at his new craft in the month leading up to camp, training at the Randy Moss Academy in North Carolina with other top receivers.
"I don't want to feel blessed,'' Pryor said. "Everything I've ever done for my life, sheesh, my mother, growing up I've been by myself, moving in and out of different places by myself since I was 12 years old. I really didn't have like a figure, people to show me the way. I've pretty much grown and anything I have I've worked for it by myself.''
Both Pryor and Bowe will have to come back strong from their hamstrings in practice this week if they hope to be active for the opener.
The full list of roster moves is as follows: Waived --
OL Karim Barton,
QB Pat Devlin,
RB Shaun Draughn,
DB Landon Feichter
, RB Tim Flanders,
DB Kendall James
, WR Darrius Jennings
, OL Erle Ladson,
WR Josh Lenz,
WR Vince Mayle
, DL Jacobbi McDaniel
, OL Andrew McDonald
, OL Darrian Miller
, DB Robert Nelson Jr.
, OL Vinston Painter,
LB Hayes Pullard III
, DB Joe Rankin
, LB Mike Reilly
, DB De'Ante Saunders
, DL Dylan Wynn.
Contract Terminated:
QB Thaddeus Lewis
, OL Eric Olsen.
Some other roster notes:
* Of the Browns' 12 picks in the 2015 draft, eight made the roster. Sixth-round tight end Randall Telfer (USC) and seventh-round cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Oregon) were recently placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.
"We knew there were going to be some tough decisions because of the number of guys we brought in," Pettine said. "I think this draft class will be a cornerstone of hopefully our success moving forward. You start right at the top. We think the world of Danny. Cam's going to be a good player for us for a long time. You can pretty much go right down the list."
* The Browns have only six healthy offensive linemen on the roster. Fortunately for them, Erving can fill in at virtually every position on the line. They might also add a lineman soon.
* Farmer's four-game suspension for texting during games last season begins Monday morning, so fans won't get a chance to hear his thoughts on the final roster for awhile.
* The Browns can add 10 players to the practice squad beginning tomorrow at 1 p.m. They can also begin putting in waiver claims at noon.
