Todd Bowles speaks about Jets acquiring Terrelle Pryor via free agency

When the New York Jets officially came to terms with free agent wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, the possibility of him returning to form is there. Here’s what head coach Todd Bowles thinks about what Pryor brings to the table.

Entering this year’s free agency period, the New York Jets had a lot of positions to fill. Of course, their offense last season left much to the imagination. While they did enjoy some bright moments here and there, the truth of the matter is, they weren’t very good at converting third downs or even scoring touchdowns consistently.

All that should hopefully change if wide receiver Terrelle Pryor returns to form and stays healthy this upcoming season. It won’t be easy but Pryor is a competitive football player that will do anything and everything to ensure he’s capable of keeping those chains moving and being a true red-zone threat.

In an article written by Brian Costello of the New York Post, head coach Todd Bowles was asked at the recent NFL meetings in Orlando about all the new free agents coming to the Jets this offseason.

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When it came to Pryor, Bowles had some interesting things to say that might have a subliminal message to the rest of the Jets wide receiver corps. Here’s what he said directly from Costello’s article:

“Competition. Hopefully he’s healthy and he’ll come in and repeat what he did two years ago. Obviously, two years ago he was a beast. He’s a big receiver. He’s very talented. Has a clean bill of health. I want to see him run around and create competition.”

Bowles is completely accurate here when it comes to Pryor and everything he brings to the table if healthy. Back in 2016 when Pryor was a member of the Cleveland Browns, he totaled the best season yet of his career. Pryor ended the season with 1,007 receiving yards, 77 receptions, and four touchdowns.

Could the Jets get that kind of production from a player coming off of ankle surgery last year? Your guess is as good as mine but this is a typical low risk/high reward kind of situation for the Jets. Plus in the grand scheme of things, seeing Bowles say that the biggest thing Pryor is all about, competing, could be a message sent to players that are either on the roster bubble or need to shape up before they become expendable (Robby Anderson for example, and his off-the-field arrests).

Overall, Pryor is preparing for a big bounce-back season with the Jets and if they’re able to get the player he once was before injuring his ankle, he’ll be the talk of the city that never sleeps. His talent and ability to be a playmaking wide receiver on an offense that needed it should create some great memories and hopefully a plethora of highlights come next season.