While the Redskins will return to team headquarters on Monday to start organized workouts, Kirk Cousins has been working with his newest wide receiver to help him grasp the offensive playbook.
In late March, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins organized a private throwing session with some of his wide receivers down in Florida. Returners Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson and Jordan Reed were present, but so too was free agent signing Terrelle Pryor Sr.
Shortly after that session concluded, Cousins and Pryor continued their work together as they focused on a smooth transition from the Cleveland Browns the Redskins.
According to ESPN.com’s John Keim, the two met in a hotel room to discuss some of the intricacies of Jay Gruden's offense. There are some similarities to what Hue Jackson runs with the Browns, but the play calls are slightly different.
"He started giving me hand signals like I was out wide," Pryor told Keim. "It took me a while and then I started knocking them down without getting them wrong."
Cousins also spoke to ESPN this week and explained that the session was designed to help get the offense on the same page before the players report to the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Loudoun County, Va., next week to begin offseason workouts.
Phase 1 workouts – which last two weeks -- consists of activities limited to strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation only. So by getting time on the field with Pryor was important to Cousins.
"I want to get to know these guys not just on the field but off the field, what makes them tick, what kind of people they are but also how they run a comeback route, how they run a basic, how I want those routes run, a snap count, the terminology, the formations we use, the motions, the shifts, what our weekly preparations look like in terms of our pre practice drills and post practice drills," Cousins said. "I want these guys to get to know our culture and understand how we work as Redskins and the way we go about our business to make sure they adapt well. It's a process and that's what OTAs and minicamp are all about. I want to make sure we are a well-oiled machine come Week 1."
"It was about him getting my timing down," Pryor added. "There were a couple routes I had to run a couple times because he's a timing thrower, and he throws it to spots. But we'll get there. When we get there Monday, we'll go two or three times a week and work on that as well. I was eager. It was great to work with him and get to know him."
Pryor joined the Redskins last month after a breakout season in which he recorded 77 receptions for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns. The numbers he posted in his first season as a wide receiver were remarkable in their own right, but Pryor produced despite never truly developing a rapport with Cleveland's quarterbacks.
The Browns had five different quarterbacks attempt at least 24 passes. So to have someone like Cousins – who has started every game for the Redskins in the past two seasons and appeared on every offensive snap in 2016 – solidified as the starter is a major key for Pryor in his development.
Pryor discussed what he liked from Cousins and how he prefers where the ball is placed when targeted.
"He'll take that info in and say, 'I really like that,'" Pryor said. "That's how I knew me and him would click. We're going to do well."
After losing 1,000-yard wide receivers Pierre Garçon and DeSean Jackson last month in free agency, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden's hope is that Pryor can help keep the Redskins' receiving corps among the most productive in the league in 2017.
If he plays like he did against the Redskins last year for a full 16-game season – coupled with a solid on-field relationship with Cousins – Pryor will only improve on his numbers.
"You just watch him running around, and you're like, 'Golly, who's that guy?'" Gruden said at the NFL's annual League Meetings. "He's a good looking guy in a uniform that's for sure. Tall, long-legged guy. You can tell he's a great competitor. He was at Ohio State, and will continue to be."
