The Sports Xchange

The Cleveland Browns’ experiment with transitioning Terrelle Pryor to wide receiver ended when the team released the former quarterback on Thursday, and coach Mike Pettine said keeping Pryor on the regular-season roster was simply a “luxury” the team decided it couldn’t afford.

Pryor made the initial 53-man roster out of training camp despite not catching a pass during the preseason, and Pettine admitted Friday that Pryor was the 53rd player who created significant internal debate.

“Terrelle certainly has the ability to make the transition to receiver,” Pettine said. “We were hopeful that we were going to be able to have that time to do it, but that, to me, is viewed as a luxury.”

After trading running back Terrence West to the Tennessee Titans, the Browns decided it was important to add depth behind starter Isaiah Crowell and rookie Duke Johnson, and Robert Turbin was claimed off injury waivers from the Seattle Seahawks. Turbin will miss Sunday’s season-opener with an ankle injury that is expected to sidelined him up to another month.

“That was something that we were willing to deal with,” Pettine said. “Given where we were when we looked at our running back room, given our circumstances and having always been a Robert Turbin fan, just admiring how he plays and the mentality he takes to the field, that was an opportunity that we felt we couldn’t pass up.”

Pettine said it was “very fair” to say that the Browns decided Turbin could be a more productive player than Pryor this season.

“Will Terrelle Pryor be successful in the NFL at wide out? There’s a pretty good chance of that, but just given the timing for us, it just wasn’t right.”

— Pettine said Johnny Manziel will serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind Josh McCown on Sunday after showing enough strength in his ailing right elbow.

“I thought he had a good week,” Pettine said. “He stepped into some throws. I thought he tested it. To me, he seems to pass all the tests so we’re confident that his good to go.”

INJURIES: WR Dwayne Bowe (hamstring) was officially listed as questionable on Friday along with CB Justin Gilbert (hip), LB Barkevious Mingo (knee), LB Nate Orchard (back) and CB K’Waun Williams (abdomen). Manziel was listed as probable along with Johnson (concussion), CB Pierre Desir (concussion), CB Joe Haden (hip), LB Christian Kirksey (groin), WR Marlon Moore (rib) and T Mitchell Schwartz (thumb).