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Buffalo Bills: Cardale Jones interest makes sense

By Kevin Parvizi

Oct 24, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones (12) prior to the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Oct 24, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones (12) prior to the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O /
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Perhaps no player in the NFL had a bigger breakout season in 2015 than Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who hammered out 8.0 yards per attempt with 20 touchdowns, just six interceptions, and some timely scrambles. But speaking of hammering things out, the Bills must sign him to a new deal, and the fact that GM Doug Whaley said that “there’s some work to be done” means that a mid-round quarterback target should be on their sights in this year’s draft.

For some odd reason, as per DraftInsider.net’s Tony Pauline, the Buffalo Bills are high on Kevin Hogan, but I’m not buying him as the guy they put behind Taylor as insurance. They need to snag someone with upside worth developing, because they’ve already seen limited QBs like EJ Manuel, Kyle Orton, and Kevin Kolb flounder over the last few years. Meanwhile, Taylor has shined with his physical tools, and the Bills would be wiser banking on someone with a skill-set worth raving about.

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You know, someone like Cardale Jones. According to the Buffalo News‘ Tyler Dunne, Jones will visit the Bills before the draft begins, and while visits like this are almost meaningless in the grand scheme of things, there is a reason why I hesitate to say “always” instead of “almost”.

These visits serve as a guide for fans and writers to examine different ways a team could attack the draft, and, in this case, it gives us a clue as to how the Bills would like to address the quarterback position. Taylor has helped the Bills nail down the position in the short-term, but Whaley and the organization are actually wise to be cynical with regards to the long-term outlook at the position, particularly with no deal in place nor any real depth at the position.

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I can respect your opinion if you prefer Hogan, but if the goal is to develop a quarterback, tools are extremely important. After the first round of the draft, picking up a QB is a crapshoot, and, in the words of a “high-ranking scout” in this piece from CBS Sports’s Rob Rang, “If the plan is to develop the young quarterback rather than play him immediately, anyway, why not take the bigger, stronger athlete and let your coaches unlock his potential?”

Jones is no sure thing, and it will take a lot of seasoning for him to get to the point where he could potentially start games for a team. However, all mid-round quarterback prospects fall into this boat, but Jones has an advantage over some of those guys. His issues may be due to a lack of experience throwing passes in college, and his heroics in the team’s national championship-winning season could be enough to overcome the sour taste of his previous season.

Sometimes, as in the case of Mario Edwards Jr. and Stefon Diggs in last year’s draft class, we forget about what a prospect did in the season before their final year in college. Jones’s arm strength, velocity, size, 36-inch vertical, and deep accuracy are renowned, but the big issues with anticipation, short accuracy, and decision-making could all be fixed with time.

Dec 27, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo defeat Dallas 16-6. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo defeat Dallas 16-6. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

Conversely, they might not be fixable issues, but the Bills- or any team drafting Jones- wouldn’t count on him as a contributor. Quarterbacks taken after the first round are projects, and anything they provide is bonus. So why not go for someone who can provide a big bonus but isn’t too raw to be a hopeless project? He’s a wild card, but he’s no Logan Thomas either.

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The Bills need to have serious reservations about his inconsistency and tendency to trust his tools too much, but he’s an option that must be considered. Again, the Bills are looking for someone to mold, and it might hard for them to come up with a better option in the third or fourth round, which is likely the range in which they will look for a QB.

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