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Plenty of Buffalo Bills fans had probably never heard of Tyrod Taylor before Buffalo signed him in the offseason. Taylor was entrenched behind Joe Flacco with the Baltimore Ravens. Flacco seems indestructible at quarterback and never misses a snap, which left Taylor to almost never see the field, leading to NFL anonymity for much of the last four years. But as we inch closer to the start of the regular season, one thing is clear in Buffalo — Taylor must be the Bills’ starting QB in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts.
It’s not that Taylor has been flawless, and he doesn’t exactly look like Jim Kelly either, but he’s the best option and here’s why — he’s an unknown commodity.
Not knowing what you have at QB for Buffalo is better than the familiar. The franchise invested a first-round pick in EJ Manuel in 2013. In two seasons, Manuel has never given any indication that he’s going to be a legitimate quarterback in the NFL. At this point, it’s even questionable if he’s worthy of being a second-string QB on any NFL roster. With a new head coach in Rex Ryan who has no ties to Manuel, the former Florida State QB quickly tumbled down the depth chart and currently looks like he’s already the third QB on the roster.
Matt Cassel is the other option, but he’s not exactly a good one either. Cassel has had some moments during his NFL career. He led the New England Patriots to an 11-5 record in 2008 when Tom Brady went down with an injury, and he had a 10-5 record in 15 starts for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010 earning a Pro Bowl spot with over 3,000 yards passing and 27 touchdowns.
But 2010 was a long time ago. Since then, Cassel carries a 9-17 record as a starter. He’s thrown 30 touchdown passes over that stretch with 34 interceptions. He has shown over the last five years that he’s nothing more than a second-string quarterback who at best can muster a .500 record. There is no upside with Cassel at this point.
Enter Tyrod Taylor.
While this competition is somewhat a process of elimination, Taylor still emerges as the team’s best option at quarterback. In his preseason opportunities this year, Taylor hasn’t wowed anyone, but he’s certainly shown he’s capable of running the offense. He’s made very few mistakes, which is critical when running a Rex Ryan squad that is going to focus on defense and running the football.
Buffalo’s quarterback is going to be asked to not turn the ball over and make a play when they need it. That’s exactly what Taylor showed in Buffalo’s second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. Taylor was 7-for-10 throwing the football for 65 yards. That’s not exactly eye-popping, but he didn’t turn the ball over and made one particular play that stood out. In the first quarter with the Bills facing a third-and-6, Taylor showed good pocket presence to avoid the rush but had the wherewithal to stay back and found Deonte Thompson for a 22-yard completion that kept the chains moving. Taylor is the only QB on the roster who could have made that play. Manuel most likely would have taken off running when the pressure came and Cassel would have struggled just to avoid the rush.
It’s this type of play that shows Taylor has the potential to be a legitimate starting QB in the league. There are no guarantees that this decision will work. Taylor may earn the spot and struggle once the regular season begins, forcing Ryan to insert Cassel, but on upside alone, this is the right decision.
Buffalo is ready to win. They have an outstanding defense, a big-time running back in LeSean McCoy and a special weapon at receiver with Sammy Watkins. They need a quarterback who can step in and lead this team to the playoffs. That quarterback is not Manuel and it’s no longer Cassel. It may not even be Taylor, but of the options on the current roster, he is proving to be head and shoulders above the competition.
Bill Zimmerman is a featured writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter or like him on Facebook.
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