Terrelle Pryor

Terrelle Pryor 'saw this day' of becoming a starting receiver in the NFL. Now, it's here, beginning Sunday in Philadelphia.

(John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

BEREA, Ohio -- Plenty of folks are surprised that Terrelle Pryor is a starting receiver in the NFL, but he's not among them.

"I saw this day,'' Pryor said Thursday after practice for Sunday's opener in Philadelphia. "I envisioned myself doing this. I envisioned myself doing it last year, but I had a little injury. I'm happy and I can't wait to go and play with my teammates.''

Pryor acknowledged that he's excited to get his first season as a starter underway.

"It's not a thing where I just woke up and rolled out of bed and that's what happened,'' he said. "There's a lot of hard work into it and this is what I expect."

#Browns Terrelle Pryor: "I saw this day" of becoming a starting WR in the #NFL pic.twitter.com/JGQAodAjxs — Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 8, 2016

The Browns' two starters, Pryor and first-round pick Corey Coleman, have two career starts at receiver and one catch between them.

"This whole week (Coleman has) been awesome,'' Pryor said. "He's been handling his business. He's been on point on everything. He caught a lot of balls today and yesterday and it's exciting to see. It's really coming together for him and it's starting to slow down for him. You can really see it.''

It's not all on RG3

Pryor, a former NFL quarterback, knows that Robert Griffin III will need help to be successful on Sunday.

"He's our captain, so we expect him just like he does every day to be the leader, the voice for us, lead us down the field,'' said Pryor. "Everything's not going to be pretty. It's not. It's the NFL. We know that the Eagles have players that get paid too. We have to try to make some plays and help him. It's not all on his shoulders.''

Four rookie receivers

Pryor and Andrew Hawkins are the only two receivers with experience, and Hawkins is the only one with more than two career starts. He has 25. The rest are rookies.

"We believe in them,'' said Pryor. "Just because they're young doesn't mean anything. Obviously they're going to have a learning curve just like all of us, but there's no reason not to believe in them and not to be happy that they're with us.''

Carl Nassib on Carson Wentz's slower release



Rookie defensive lineman Carl Nassib has watched Carson Wentz's 39 preseason snaps multiple times, and says the Browns have identified something they'll try to pounce on.

"He can run, he has good mobility, and he's got a good arm,'' said Nassib. "His release is a little slow, so we plan to take advantage of that.''

Overall, "I think they're going to keep things basic for him, but I'm just going to go out there and play as fast as I can and pressure him as much as I can, make him uncomfortable.''

With a hairline fracture of the rib, Wentz might not run as much as he would normally, Nassib said.

"He's a dual threat, but I heard he's a little banged up right now, so I doubt he'll be running the ball very much,'' he said.

He said he plans to run after him as much as he can.

"We'll see who gets tired first,'' he said.



Tramon Williams on RG3

Defensive back Tramon Williams has been impressed with Griffin, saying he gives defenses something extra to worry about.

"He brings a whole different variety of offense,'' Williams said. "He can pretty much do whatever when he's in the game. Obviously, he can hurt you with his legs and he can hurt you with his arm. He has one of the best deep balls in this game. You can run the conventional offense, you can run zone read scheme, you can do whatever. He is going to bring a totally different dimension to his game that people are going to have to prepare for. We have those types of players on the offensive side of the field that he is not going to be the only one that they have to prepare for. I think it is going to be a nightmare for guys preparing for us."

Williams added, "He's in the process of trying to rejuvenate his career. He has to come out and fight now. I can't wait to see what he can do.''

For his part, Williams is embracing his role as the starting nickel back -- although he's still working toward getting his starting job back. "It's definitely an adjustment for me,'' he said. "But I'm always all about the team.''

In addition he'll return punts and is looking forward to the challenge, even at the age of 33.