The Buffalo Bills are entering a new era under head coach Rex Ryan, but they still have quarterback issues as they look to end a lengthy playoff drought. 2013 first-round pick EJ Manuel has not shown he is a starting-caliber signal caller yet, and two offseason additions (Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor) look likely to get an equal chance to earn the starting job.
It’s an open debate over who is the third-best quarterback in this year’s draft class, with a clear top two (Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota) and a wide gap after them. Bryce Petty proved to be a worthy successor to Robert Griffin III at Baylor, with more than 8,000 passing yards and 61 touchdown passes over the last two seasons, and he is emerging as the favorite to be the third quarterback drafted.
WKBW in Buffalo has reported that general manager Doug Whaley will have an in-person visit with Petty on Tuesday. With no first-round pick right now, and their first selection coming at 50th overall, the Bills will be left choosing from a large second tier of quarterbacks if they want to draft one this year.
Questions about Petty’s ability to make a quick transition to the NFL are abundant, since Baylor’s offense is shotgun-based and very quarterback-friendly. So the team that drafts Petty has to be committed to developing him for the future, and he is at best unlikely to succeed immediately as a rookie if he is forced to play a lot.
Even though they don’t have a definite starting quarterback right now, the Bills do have enough options to get through the 2015 season without having to throw a rookie into the fire. Perhaps that should have been their plan two years ago with Manuel, but he was a first-round pick and there was surely residual pressure to play him as soon as possible. That pressure would obviously not be on the same level with Petty, and he would not have to attempt a regular season pass during his rookie season unless he was deemed ready by the coaching staff.
The Bills seem ready to give up on Manuel soon, and rightfully so unless he shows something leading up to and during his third season. Cassel and Taylor are little more than potential stop-gaps if Manuel fails to take the reigns, but one or the other could stick as a backup for Buffalo beyond 2015.
Petty has the potential to stick long-term right now, and unless something suddenly clicks for Manuel Buffalo doesn’t have a quarterback that fits that bill. That makes Petty someone the Bills should be happy to draft, assuming he is available when their turn comes in the second round.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist/Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
