Earlier in the offseason, it was thought that Terrelle Pryor had a fighting chance to be the starting quarterback of the Oakland Raiders in 2013. Carson Palmer was on his way out and Pryor represented the trend of a mobile quarterback. However, the team acquired Matt Flynn and then drafted Tyler Wilson, leaving Pryor as the possible odd man out. While head coach Dennis Allen is complimentary of Pryor's athleticism, he said the young quarterback has a long way to go before he is a starter.
As voluntary workouts continue in Oakland, Pryor has not impressed much with his quarterback skills. Media reports that many of his passes appear wobbly and several have gone off target. While he may be putting in the effort, Allen says he needs all-around improvement as a quarterback.
"I think still, when you look at it at the quarterback position, he's still young in the position. There's still a lot of improvement that he needs to make. He's got a great athletic skill set, but still some of the finer points of playing the quarterback position are still some of the things that he's got to continue to get better at," Allen said.
Pryor is heading into his third season in the NFL. After being a three-year starter for Ohio State, he only has so much time to prove he belongs in the league. Allen stresses the team will continue to give Pryor opportunities to display his skills and work on improving, but he notes that the 23-year old is nowhere near where he needs to be.
Pryor could be at risk of being traded or released before the season begins. Based on contract size, Flynn is the likely starter going into 2013 with Wilson the long-term option for Oakland. Both quarterbacks have impressed in workouts and will likely sit at No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart. After signing Matt McGloin, it is clear the Raiders are not yet looking to transition into a read-option offense. With three pocket passing quarterbacks, general manager Reggie McKenzie appears content to keep the offense somewhat traditional.
If the Raiders feel Pryor has not done enough to show that he can be a quality emergency starter for the team, they will get rid of him. If they trade him sooner rather than later, his value will be pretty high. Oakland could at least get a draft pick for him. If they decide closer to the season starting what Pryor's future is, he will likely just get released.
