INDIANAPOLIS: Browns coach Hue Jackson has a close relationship with impending free-agent wide receiver Terrelle Pryor and doesn’t want to see him leave the team.
“It’s free agency, so [players] get to make a choice and a decision, too,” Jackson said Thursday during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. “Hopefully he’ll make the right one and stay here with us.”
Head of football operations Sashi Brown said Wednesday the Browns had meetings scheduled with Pryor’s agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus at the combine. Pryor is set to become an unrestricted free agent March 9.
“It’s important [to re-sign Pryor],” Jackson said. “Obviously, Terrelle was a huge piece of what we did a year ago. Obviously, we’re working through that, and it has to work both ways for all involved — for him, for us, and hopefully it will. Hopefully, we can get that done soon.”
When Jackson coached the Oakland Raiders in 2011, he drafted Pryor as a quarterback from Ohio State. Last year, in his first full season after switching from quarterback to receiver, Pryor led the Browns with 77 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns.
“He’s trending up. I said that. I think his best football is ahead of him,” Jackson said. “He’s very talented, very athletic, knows how to play. Hopefully we get this guy back.”
Too soon?
Almost all draft analysts believe the Browns will draft Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett first overall on April 27. NFL Network reporter Michael Silver, a friend of Jackson, said on the air he would be shocked if Garrett weren’t picked at No. 1.
So will the Browns select Garrett?
“I think it’s a little too early to say that,” Jackson said. “I mean obviously he’s a tremendous player. There’s a lot of good players in this draft. I think it’s just so early for us to determine exactly where we are.”
Development to watch
Although Garrett is widely considered the front-runner, Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and the top-three rated quarterbacks — North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer — shouldn’t be dismissed as candidates to become the No. 1 pick, either.
Allen, though, has two surgically repaired and arthritic shoulders that could cause concern.
NFL Network reported Allen will bench press Saturday at the combine in an attempt to show teams he’s 100 percent healthy. Doctors will examine him afterward.
Draft a back?
After the Browns declined to draft a running back last year, Jackson said the decision stemmed from the team’s comfort with Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson. Does he feel the same way now?
“I feel even better,” Jackson said. “I think Crow’s a very talented player. So is Duke. I feel good about those guys, but I don’t think anything’s just set. However we can improve our team and make it better, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Hometown guy
One running back who would love to play for the Browns is Toledo’s Kareem Hunt, a graduate of Willoughby South High School.
“I’m going to be a Browns fan till I die,” said Hunt, adding he would meet with his hometown team Thursday at the combine.
Hunt has trained under the guidance of former Browns running back Earnest Byner.
“He taught me a lot about the game, just about reading defenses, drawing up defenses, doing all that stuff,” Hunt said. “He gave me a lot of great info. He actually gave me a text earlier this morning. He just wants the best, and I appreciate everything he’s done.”
Free-agency outlook
Jackson stressed the importance of not only finding the next starting quarterback of the Browns but also adequately supporting him with important pieces.
“You have to make sure he has enough weapons,” he said. “You have to make sure you’re able to protect him and you put him in the right spot so he can have success.”
The Browns have $102 million in salary-cap space, so how aggressive will they be in free agency compared to last year, when they were mostly quiet?
“We’re not going to do anything that’s way over the top because I think it’s important we do it very smartly but also very aggressively,” Jackson said. “But we’ll do everything we can to improve this football team.”
Help wanted
Austin Pasztor is the Browns’ incumbent starter at right tackle, but he appears to be headed to the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
So how dire is the situation at right tackle?
“I don’t know that it’s bad,” Jackson said. “I think we need to improve it. We have some candidates that we’ll put over there and give them a chance to compete. And, obviously, maybe we’ll find somebody in free agency or find somebody that can play the position in the draft.”
Not willing to discuss
Jackson was asked whether he would be open to reviewing the case of suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon, who’s trying to gain reinstatement into the NFL.
“He’s not reinstated yet, so I think it would be premature to get in any discussion about that,” Jackson said. “I’m sure we’ll deal with it in the future when the time comes.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.