Bengals Rookie Camp Roster
2014 Practice Squad Players
Pos;Name;College;Hometown
OT;Dan France;Michigan State;North Royalton
WR;Cobi Hamilton;Arkansas;Texarkana, Texas
CB;Onterio McCalebb;Auburn;Fort Meade, Fla.
OT;Matthew O’Donnell;Queen’s (Canada);Kingston, Ontario
WR;Tevin Reese;Baylor;Temple, Texas
RB;James Wilder Jr;Florida State;Tampa, Fla.
2015 Draft Picks
Pos;Name;College;Hometown
WR;Mario Alford;West Virginia;Greenville, Ga.
LB;P.J. Dawson;TCU;Dallas, Texas
OT;Jake Fisher;Oregon;Traverse City, Mich.
DT;Marcus Hardison;Arizona State;Punta Gorda, Fla.
TE;Tyler Kroft;Rutgers;Downingtown, Pa.
OT;Cedric Ogbuehi;Texas A&M;Allen, Texas
CB;Josh Shaw;USC;Palmdale, Calif.
S;Derron Smith;Fresno State;Banning, Calif.
TE;C.J. Uzomah;Auburn;Suwanee, Ga.
Undrafted Free Agent Signees
Pos;Name;College;Hometown
CB;Troy Hill;Oregon;Youngstown
OL;Chris Jasperse;Marshall;Greensboro, N.C.
WR;Jake Kumerow;Wisconsin-Whitewater;Bartlett, Ill.
TE;Matt Lengel;Eastern Kentucky;Mechanicsburg, Pa.
K;Tom Obarski;Concordia-St. Paul;Burnsville, Minn.
S;Floyd Raven;Texas A&M;Kenner, La.
LB;Trevor Roach;Nebraska;Elkhorn, Neb.
C;Jake Smith;Louisville;Jacksonville, Ala.
RB;Terrell Watson;Azusa Pacific;Oxnard, Calif.
RB;Mark Weisman;Iowa;Buffalo Grove, Ill.
DT;DeShawn Williams;Clemson;Central, S.C.
Tryout Players
OL;Tovar Allen;Alabama State;Rincon, Ga.
P;Stephen Amic;Bethany College (W.Va.);McDonald, Pa.
LB;Tony Bell;Tennessee-Martin;Memphis, Tenn.
LB;Evan Byers;Bucknell;Raleigh, N.C.
WR;Joe Craig;Memphis;Gaffney, S.C.
S;Erick Dargan;Oregon;Pittsburg, Calif.
G;Fehoko Fanaika;Louisiana State;Sacramento, Calif.
QB;Andrew Hendrix;Miami;Cincinnati
OT;Forrestal Hickman;Missouri S&T;Holton, Kan.
DE;Dezmond Johnson;Duke;Nashville, Tenn.
DE;Jerrell Jordan;Cincinnati;Alta Vista, Va.
TE;Jake Murphy;Utah;Alpine, Utah
DE;Nmesoma Okafor;Akron;Queens, N.Y.
TE;John Peters;Mount St. Joseph;West Chester
DT;Kalafitoni Pole;Washington State;Union City, Calif.
QB;Terrelle Pryor;Ohio State;Jeannette, Pa.
LS;Avery Rigg;Angelo State;Crane, Texas
WR;Leonard Riston;Mount St. Joseph;Cincinnati
OT;Kevin Schloemer;Cincinnati;Liberty Township
LB;Lee Skinner;Buffalo;Dayton
S;Nick Temple;Cincinnati;Indianapolis, Ind.
CB;Howard Wilder;Cincinnati;Seat Pleasant, Md.
Terrelle Pryor’s stint with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this spring lasted 42 days, and his time with the Cincinnati Bengals could be even briefer.
The former Ohio State quarterback is taking part in the rookie camp this weekend on a tryout basis after reaching out to Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who was the head coach in Oakland when the Raiders selected Pryor in the 2011 supplemental draft.
“I went to Hue and said, ‘Can I do this mini-camp, because I need reps,’ ” Pryor said. “I’m not going to get them when Andy (Dalton) gets here. I have to take the reps I get, focus in, laser in and do the best I can.”
The Bengals brought Pryor in for a workout last November, but it didn’t lead to anything.
If he can show the coaches enough this weekend to merit a contract, Pryor could be in the mix with AJ McCarron and Josh Johnson for the backup quarterback job. Otherwise, he and the other 20 players attending the camp on a tryout basis will leave the facility Sunday night looking for their next opportunity.
“I’ve been cut two times in a row,” Pryor said, referring to his dismissal in Kansas City earlier this week and release from Seattle at the end of the 2014 preseason.
“Whether it’s the players, whatever it is, it’s not getting the mesh with the other quarterbacks in the room,” Pryor said. “I’ve just got to find my niche, keep praying to God and handling my business. That’s all I can do.”
Pryor appeared in 16 games with 10 starts in his three seasons in Oakland. Nine of the 10 starts came in 2013, when he completed 156 of 272 passes (57.4 percent) for 1,798 yards with seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Accuracy has always been the biggest knock against Pryor, but he said spending the last three offseasons with throwing coach Tom House — whom Dalton also has been working with — has made him “ten times” better.
“I’ve been there when Andy was there, and I’ve seen Josh, too,” Pryor said. “That’s great. You can fit in and understand. They understand the correlation of the body and how you throw the football. That’s where I really learned how to throw the football.
“They would say, ‘He could throw the ball a mile, he could throw it very hard, but his accuracy is inconsistent,’ ” Pryor continued. “And I know that. That’s the main thing. If you want to move on with your craft, you have to know the negative.”
The improved mechanics coupled with knowledge of Jackson’s system has Pryor thinking his weekend audition could lead to a contract.
The Bengals could have signed him beforehand, but then he wouldn’t have been able to participate this weekend because he isn’t a first-year player.
Pryor said he doesn’t mind being one of the older guys in the camp and that he’s just thankful for the opportunity.
“It’s been a rocky road, but any time you get on the field it’s a joy to play football,” he said. “It’s a joy being out there with guys you’re trying to mentor and that’s pretty much what this role is for me now, mentoring guys, making sure they’re in the right positions, right formations, to show the leadership skills I have. So I’m enjoying it, I had fun out there in the walkthrough, had fun in the meeting, so I’m looking forward to it.”
While there has been some talk of Pryor switching positions, he made it clear that is not an option.
“That’s all I know to play,” he said. “I couldn’t run a route. If I can’t play quarterback, I can’t play football. I’m pretty much done.”
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