Buffalo Bills: Will Tyrod Taylor be the starting quarterback?

The Buffalo Bills have one of the worst quarterback situations in the entire NFL, but that can lead to a player getting a chance.

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Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has only thrown 35 passes in four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Despite not playing much in Baltimore, Taylor looks to be getting a chance to be the starting quarterback for the Bills. In their first week of organized team activities, Taylor has been splitting first-team reps with EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel.

“He is an unknown, never played a whole lot in Baltimore,” Rex Ryan said to Sal Maiorana of the Democrat and Chronicle. “I think the ability is hard to ignore, some of the things that he has.”

Taylor was drafted by the Ravens in the sixth-round of the 2011 NFL Draft. As a dual-threat quarterback in college, there was a possibility of Taylor being switched over to a wide receiver, or being more of a gimmick player than a quarterback.

He has believed in himself, and despite having a Super Bowl winning quarterback in Joe Flacco on the team, Taylor has competed.

“Joe was the guy there, he was the starter and we knew that, but at the same time, that didn’t stop us from competing,” Taylor said to Maiorana. “I know what I’m capable of, it’s my job to prove it to the coaches. I think they’re aware, but as long as I continue to keep working and impress them every day, at the end of the day the coaches will decide.”

Taylor has worked hard with the Ravens, and although it didn’t lead to him getting a shot with them, he has impressed other coaches.

“We looked at him hard when I was with Rex with the Jets,” said quarterback coach David Lee to Maiorana, referring to Ryan’s failed attempt to acquire Taylor. “He’s got that uncommon speed, man, at our position. So this guy is exciting to all of us because he has that dimension of, ‘Hey, I can beat you with my legs and not just my arm.’ ”

“I think he has a beautiful throwing motion and I just have to think we’ve got to see how accurate he is,” said Lee to Maiorana. “He’s in this competition as much as anybody to get the starting job.”

With the new regime in Buffalo and a poor quarterback situation, Taylor has as good as shot as anyone to win the job.

The rise of Taylor in the Bills’ coaching staff eyes does make it more apparent that Manuel could be a bust. Manuel was the Bills’ first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. After starting in his rookie season, Manuel was benched last season for Kyle Orton after just four games. Manuel as a former first-round pick figured to have the advantage with the new coaching staff, but instead he may be looking at another year on the bench.

Aug 28, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) runs as New Orleans Saints cornerback Stan Jean-Baptiste (33) pursues during the first half of a preseason game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan has had tough luck in his head coaching career when it comes to quarterbacks so far, and he’s hoping that this year it’ll be different.

“I think they all have something to prove,” Ryan said to Maiorana. “How they’re going to be in this system, we’re going to find out. Some quarterbacks flourish in certain systems and I believe all three guys will have a chance to be successful. I hope that’s the case. And hopefully that decision is going to be tough, on a good note, not that this guy wins it by default.”

Cassel is the only of the three quarterbacks to have success at the NFL level, but most of his career hasn’t been very good. Manuel and Taylor both have upside being young and dual-threat quarterbacks, but don’t expect either to be making the Pro Bowl this season.

The quarterback position is going to be a huge hole on the Bills this season, as a quarterback battle between three players is not a good sign of things to come.

Next: Should the Bills have drafted Bryce Petty?

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