Terrelle Pryor trying to bounce back with Jets after Redskins stint

RICHMOND — The sight was all too familiar for anyone who watched the Redskins’ training camp last year. On Monday, there was Terrelle Pryor, sticking one arm in the air and somehow hauling in the catch.

But unlike 2017, this time the wide receiver was wearing the white and green of the New York Jets.

That’s not all that has changed for Pryor, either.

In the span of a year, the 29-year-old went from a marquee free agent signing to a guy trying to prove he still belongs in the NFL. The reason? Pryor’s one-year gamble with the Redskins backfired. He recorded just 20 receptions for 240 yards and a touchdown in nine games before opting for season-ending foot surgery.

Initially, Pryor agreed to join the Redskins on a one-year, $6 million deal in order to boost his value so he could be paid like a top receiver in 2018. But after a disappointing season, he settled for a one-year, $4.5 million contract with only $2 million guaranteed (which means he’s not a lock to make the Jets’ roster).

Despite the career setback, Pryor said he’s only focused on getting healthy.

In addition to his foot injury, the quarterback-turned-receiver revealed Monday he underwent surgery after he broke his ankle in May.

The rehab process from both operations has limited Pryor to about 10 reps per day in training camp — and he won’t face his former team when the Jets and Redskins meet in a preseason game Thursday at FedEx Field.

“Right now, I’m just chasing perfection of my craft and trying to get back to where I should be,” Pryor said. “I’m still trying to get healthy and continue to get my foot healthy. I had two surgeries in eight months, so it’s a blessing I’m even on the field, being able to compete and making plays.”

Pryor came to New York with considerably lower outside expectations than he did with Washington. The Redskins expected Pryor, coming off a 1000-yard plus season with the Cleveland Browns, to be their No.1 receiver after Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson left in free agency.

Likewise, Pryor expected Kirk Cousins to be the perfect quarterback that could find him time-and-time again.

But the connection and the production never materialized. While Pryor looked like a star in camp, the games were a different story. On the very first pass of the 2017 season, Pryor dropped a wide-open pass in the middle of the field — a bad omen for the year ahead.

In Week 2, Los Angeles Rams safety Cody Davis delivered a low hit that led to Pryor’s nagging foot injury. And by late October, coach Jay Gruden benched him for Josh Doctson.

Gruden said Pryor’s foot injury affected the receiver’s speed.

“I think everybody had high expectations for Terrelle and then [it] didn’t work out, his injury cut his season short,” Gruden said. “I don’t have any ill will toward Terrelle. I have a lot of respect for Terrelle as a player and as a person.”

Leading up to the Redskins-Jets joint practices, Pryor’s return was highly anticipated — given linebacker Zach Brown’s comments to a local radio station in which he said, “the boys are going to have it out for him.”

Though there were multiple fights between Redskins and Jets on Sunday, Pryor wasn’t part of the action. The closest he got to a confrontation was when he and cornerback Josh Norman had a brief exchange of words, though no one was shoved.

Pryor, meanwhile, said being injured last season changed the “total dynamics” of his play. He added it was hard for him to sit and watch his teammates play while he was out.

But that’s in the past. Now, Pryor is eager to make his preseason debut with the Jets.

It just won’t come against the Redskins.

“I want to get out there in front of the fans, I want to get out there and make a play so I can hear people roar,” Pryor said. “That’s something that’s special to me, that’s something I want to do. And I know I can make those plays and I will.

“But I’m just happy as hell that I’m healthy and that I’m able to walk and I don’t have to worry about pain in my foot and pain in my ankle. I beat two surgeries, man, so I’m here.”