The Buffalo Bills have Tyrod Taylor, Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel competing to start in training camp at quarterback this summer and Rex Ryan may favor Taylor if he plays well through camp and the preseason over Cassel as the starter and this comes as the team brought in Wayne Hunter on a free agent deal to help the offensive line.
The Bills made a number of improvements on offense this offseason, but the quarterback position has the most questions heading into camp. The team signed Percy Harvin and traded for LeSean McCoy and now Ryan has three players trying to start for the Bills. Manuel comes in after being a first round pick a few years ago, while Cassel was acquired in a trade and Taylor was signed after a stint with the Ravens as the backup for Joe Flacco.
According to the Buffalo News, Ryan has "shown greater enthusiasm for Taylor than for Cassel" this offseason and he could push him to start during training camp. The report says that Ryan has "wanted to coach" Taylor for a "long time" and that he hoped the Jets would acquire him while he was there. Pro Football Talk reports that Ryan thinks that Taylor is the "fastest" quarterback in the league and that he could "change games" with the speed that he has.
The Bills have not made a decision on a starter yet this offseason, but during OTA workouts and minicamp it was Cassel and Taylor getting the most reps. Manuel has also been getting a long look this offseason and it comes after reports that he could be cut if he doesn't improve. Taylor has not been the most accurate quarterback when he has had the chance and of the three players, Cassel has the most starting experience. The team has also signed Wayne Hunter, check here for more on the Hunter deal and if he starts.
That experience could put Cassel atop the depth chart to open training camp, but clearly Ryan is ready to give Taylor a real look. Manuel likely needs to play much better than the other two to get a chance, as his expectations are low based on what he did when Doug Marrone was in Buffalo. The Buffalo News reports that Taylor has a chance to be the starter and that it's "really possible" that Ryan names him the number one quarterback. The athleticism of Taylor could open things up for the Bills offense, as they have a strong core of wideouts with Percy Harvin, Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods.
The rushing game should be much improved with McCoy coming in and that could help Taylor with his limited experience. Taylor has only thrown 35 passes in his career and has not thrown one since back in 2013. Overall Taylor has a completion percentage of 58 percent for his career, but if he can show improvement in camp, Ryan could select him to be the starter in Week 1. Taylor was able to learn for four years behind Joe Flacco and that could be big for him in this training camp. Cassel comes in this season after throwing for 425 yards and three touchdowns in three games for the Vikings last season and he has played in just 12 games the past two years.
Check here for more on the Bills, Taylor, Cassel and Manuel.