Panthers: Signing Terrelle Pryor would not hurt wideouts
Terrelle Pryor would be an asset to the Carolina Panthers and not a hindrance as some suggest.
Friday, Stephen Igor of 247Sports.com, wrote an article discussing a hypothetical situation in which free agent wide receiver Terrelle Pryor could come to the Carolina Panthers.
In short, one of the things that would work in the Panthers favor should they pursue him is the fact that his previous contract was inexpensive. He signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Washington Redskins in 2016. Before landing on injured reserve, he played in nine games, catching 20 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown. Although he did not perform as well as he had in previous years, there was no doubt he signed for cheap money.
As Igor notes, one of the cons of signing Pryor would be that he would slow down the growth of the younger wideouts.
"Signing Pryor in an attempt to develop the former Ohio State quarterback could also block younger players trying to work their way up the depth chart like Damiere Byrd, Curtis Samuel and others, and in turn, stunt their growth."
I have mixed feelings about this statement. Is there a chance that the signing of Pryor could hamper the growth of the younger wideouts? Yes, of course. Anytime a veteran player gets playing time over some of the younger guys (who in turn do not get playing time), that may hamper their growth a bit.
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With that in mind, I do not feel as though this signing would hamper the growth of the recievers to the point where they would become ineffective. I would not think a drastic decline in the skillset of Curtis Samuel for example would occur because of this. Samuel still has to go to practice, still has to learn the plays and there are bound to be opportunities for Samuel to see the field.
I get that practice situations and in-game situations are two different things. In this situation however, I do not think that growth and development would be affected here. If anything, I see Pryor as an asset to Cam Newton. Coupled with Devin Funchess, the duo could give the Panthers a lethal passing attack.
The Carolina Panthers could use another receiver. Whether it be through drafting someone or picking someone up via free agency there is a need there. Signing Pryor would make sense for the Panthers because it gives them a cheap deep threat. He is not a bad option and the team should at least consider signing him.