The Buffalo Bills have Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel battling to start at quarterback in training camp and Cassel could be in the lead to open things up for Rex Ryan and this comes as the Bills are expecting a more explosive offense with Sammy Watkins, Charles Clay, Percy Harvin, LeSean McCoy, Fred Jackson and Robert Woods on the roster.
The Bills are coming into the season with Rex Ryan in year one and his first major decision is to pick a starting quarterback. The team made significant moves in the off-season with the trade for LeSean McCoy and the signing of Harvin and now it's time to see who will run the offense. Mike Rodak at ESPN reports that Rex Ryan may not name a starter until before the Week 1 matchup with the Colts and that means competition until September.
The Bills added Cassel in a trade this offseason and signed Taylor to a deal to compete along with EJ Manuel. Manuel was a former first round pick under last head coach Doug Marrone and he has been a disappointment overall so far for the Bills. Ryan has high hopes for Taylor and some reports have him as the sleeper in this battle. According to the Buffalo News, Cassel is at the top of the depth chart and Vic Carucci writes that so far he has "done enough" to be in line to start in Week 1 at this point.
The Bills of course have more camp and the preseason to come and that could give Ryan time to decide who he wants to start. Cassel comes in with the most experience among the QBs and that could help as he tries to win the starting job. Last season Cassel played in just three games for the Vikings, but he has had experience as a starter in Minnesota and Kansas City and if Ryan wants to make the "safe" choice, Cassel is the likely option.
Ryan reportedly likes the potential of Taylor as a runner and a playmaker and Manuel has also shown that at times. Manuel has not been consistent enough over the past couple years and in camp he has been up and down to start things off. The Bills are likely going to have a strong offense this season, as McCoy is one of the most productive backs in the league and players like Marquise Goodwin, Percy Harvin, Robert Woods, Charles Clay and Sammy Watkins give the team some strong offensive personnel.
The team now needs to find the player that will get the ball to those names on offense and Ryan said that he is looking for consistency from the position. Clay signed a major deal with the Bills and he could be a great weapon on offense, while Harvin said that he feels more comfortable with Buffalo than he did with the Seattle Seahawks. Watkins has been dealing with a hip issue, but he had a strong rookie season and is looking to have another good year this season.
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