The Bills have narrowed their three-man battle for the starting quarterback job to two, and the man with seemingly the best pedigree, 2013 first-round pick EJ Manuel, is the odd man out.
Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor alternated with the first team at Monday's practice, while Manuel was limited in his reps according to The Buffalo News. Cassel is a known commodity in the NFL, if not a particularly exciting one. He had success in 2008 with the Patriots when he stepped in for Tom Brady, who was knocked out for the season in Week 1. He parlayed that into a contract with the Chiefs, and had another big year in 2010.
Matt Cassel Looked Like He'd Be Cut In OTAs
Since then he's alternated between starting and being a No. 2, and he hasn't been very good. Since 2010 Cassel has thrown 30 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. He was last seen throwing more picks than touchdowns in three starts for the Vikings.
Taylor, a 26-year-old sixth-round pick in 2011, is the wildcard. Head coach Rex Ryan and QB coach David Lee have been impressed with his speed and athleticism.
Bills Coaches Love Tyrod Taylor's Speed
"We looked at him hard when I was with Rex with the Jets," Lee said during OTAs. "He's got that uncommon speed, man, at our position. So this guy is exciting to all of us because he has that dimension of, 'Hey, I can beat you with my legs and not just my arm.'"
The bottom line is that Taylor has thrown 35 NFL passes, none for a touchdown. The Bills will have playoff expectations thanks to their defense, and the addition of LeSean McCoy at running back, so trusting such an inexperienced quarterback to deal with that pressure, and a leaky offensive line, is a leap.
It's surprising that Manuel, who wasn't drafted by Ryan's regime, has been dismissed so quickly. He has thrown more touchdowns (16) than picks (12) in his career, something Taylor's never done, and Cassel has done sporadically. His 58.6 completion percentage is weak, but it's not far off from Cassel's 59 percent. And Manuel can improve, potentially, whereas with Cassel the Bills' ceiling is a bottom-10 quarterback.
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