E.J. Manuel is officially signed to the Buffalo Bills and in it for the long haul. While the team remains undecided on who will be the starting quarterback in 2013, they are certain that Manuel has a future in Buffalo. The Bills announced on Friday they have signed their first round pick to a contract. The details and length of the deal is unknown, but general manager Doug Whaley continues to remain true to his promise of having all rookies signed prior to the team reporting to training camp at the end of July.
"It's a great feeling and I'm excited to be truly part of the team now. I had no doubt at all. I knew I was going to be here and it was going to be done before training camp. I'm just glad it was done earlier instead of later," Manuel said.
Now that Manuel has won the battle of the contract, he can focus on the quarterback competition currently taking place on the field. The race is down to the rookie and once assumed starter, Kevin Kolb. The Bills announced earlier this week that Tarvaris Jackson was released. The quarterback was also considered in the hunt to start, but the Bills were comfortable putting their faith in both Manuel and Kolb.
Head coach Doug Marrone felt that three potential starting quarterbacks was a crowd on the field. While saying the team is not close to naming a starter, the position will be easier to evaluate with two quarterbacks instead of three.
"The more reps you give them, I think it's going to be easier to tell it apart. I believe that we'll be able to see it at training camp. I think the players on the team are going to be able to see that separation. And that's the most important thing," Marrone said.
The team is wrapping up a mandatory mini-camp where they got the first chance to see both Kolb and Manuel on the field at the same time. They split practice time with the first-team offense. The team will not be back on the field until training camp begins July 28.
Kolb certainly has the edge in the quarterback competition considering he is entering his seventh season in the league and has seen time as a starter. While his record is only 9-12 as a starting quarterback, he might be the better short-term option for the Bills until Manuel develops as a starter.
