After getting busted by the NCAA for selling memorabilia at Ohio State, Pryor entered the NFL supplemental draft and was suspended five games for trying to skirt the rules of the draft before participating in zero official snaps during his first year.
Pryor ended up being Al Davis' final draft pick and was reinstated two days after the death of the Raiders' iconic owner.
Fast forward eight months and there is a new regime in Oakland that has taken control and everyone is asking about Pryor. What is his role? How is his development coming?
Pryor is a quarterback—that's been established—but the signing of Matt Leinart via free agency changes the depth chart. It's hard to imagine Leinart not winning the backup quarterback job behind Carson Palmer considering his experience with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.
That leaves third string for Pryor—the same role as 2011 that had him considering leaving the game.
While Pryor may have a lot of work to do as a traditional quarterback, he's still a freakish athlete. The Raiders need to have a role for Pryor to play in 2012.
There are four roles Pryor could fill.
Third-String Quarterback
The Raiders can simply tell Pryor to be the best backup he can be. The Raiders, focusing on what Pryor can be in the future, simply tell Pryor to keep working in hopes of one day being the starter.
So far, this appears to be the route the coaching staff is taking and there is wisdom behind this approach.
At some point the Raiders have to test Pryor's desire to play the game. Rarely, if ever, has a player questioned his desire and ended up being a great quarterback.
It's nothing against Pryor personally, but if the Raiders can't count on Pryor mentally, they can't count on ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
