Buffalo Bills: How Matt Cassel could get axed

The Buffalo Bills have three pretty much equally underwhelming quarterbacks vying for the starting job, and while one of E.J. Manuel, Matt Cassel, or Tyrod Taylor would be locked in as a game manager of a LeSean McCoy-led, run-heavy attack, the Bills do have plenty of pass-catching talent. Not only did they add Charles Clay and Percy Harvin this offseason, but Sammy Watkins is one of the most physically gifted wideouts in the league after predictably showing his immense talent as a rookie, and Robert Woods just might be the most underrated receiver in the NFL right now.

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Although Manuel didn’t deserve to be a first-round pick and hasn’t looked like a true franchise quarterback at any point in his two-year career, the key thing from the Bills perspective is that it’s only been two years; he, almost by default, offers the most upside for an offense that, again, isn’t short on talent at the skill positions.

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Of course, Manuel’s productivity in 2015 is no sure thing, which is why the Bills were keen on adding a veteran QB to bring some stability to the position. After striking out on Josh McCown, who replaced Brian Hoyer as the Cleveland Browns starting signal-caller, the Bills acquired Matt Cassel from the Minnesota Vikings on the cheap in the hopes that the one-time quality starter for the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs will be a great backup or serviceable 2015 spot-starter for them.

Instead, all we’ve heard this offseason are negative reports about Cassel, and it goes beyond his lack of physical tools. The Buffalo News’s Vic Carucci wrote in late June that Cassel “doesn’t move well” and “has easily had the worst-looking practice performances of all of the quarterbacks”.

More recently, ESPN NFL Nation’s Mike Rodak, who wrote of Cassel,”there were at least one or two sessions where he was just downright bad,” the previous month, reiterated that the 33-year-old USC product is on the roster bubble after being inaccurate and interception-prone in OTAs.

Prior to OTAs, if you asked me to bet on the Bills QB that would be the most likely to exhibit real decision-making issues and erratic accuracy, then I would put that money on Rex Ryan fave and relative unknown Tyrod Taylor. But instead of the wild card flier or the third-year pro making big mistakes without the pads on, it has been the seasoned veteran with two 3,000+ yard passing seasons under his belt who has struggled mightily.

Yet with all of this bubble talk surrounding Cassel, it might be harder to cut him than it is to keep him, even if he struggles, simply because his fate rests in how comfortable the coaching staff is with the other QBs. What hurts Cassel, however, is the fact that Taylor has Ryan’s trust as a second-string QB, and, provided he plays well in August and Cassel continues to struggle, the Bills could see him as a more stable option despite Cassel’s status as a more experienced and proven quarterback in this league.

Cassel’s reported struggles this offseason have been incredibly alarming, and even transitioning to a new team is no excuse for a journeyman’s job description requires him to be able to step into any situation and pick up a playbook quickly. He’s supposed to be a guy that the organization can rely on to be prepared and not throw the game away.

However, while the word “stable” is usually associated with a veteran quarterback, I think that needs to be re-assessed when talking about Cassel, who is a different kind of passer. He’s completed 60% of his passes just twice in his career, and one of those seasons was his lone, famed season as the Patriots starting QB with Tom Brady out. Cassel’s also had just two seasons with at least 7.0 yards per attempt, and his only two good TD:INT ratio seasons were in his first and third seasons as a starter; he’s thrown more picks than TDs in the four seasons since then.

The interceptions are nothing new for Matt Cassel, but if he was that horrific in OTAs, then Bills fans can only tremble in fear at what could happen in the regular season if he doesn’t snap out of it in training camp.

Of course, if he doesn’t snap out of it in training camp, then he’s a goner, and it would take implosion from both Manuel and Taylor to prevent Cassel from being released if he earns more horrible reviews. I mean, if the Bills are comfortable with their other two QBs, who were both reportedly way better than Cassel in OTAs, then they could simply choose to keep two quarterbacks.

Sep 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel (16) runs during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at TCF Bank Stadium. at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

What really works against Cassel here is his salary, because it’s hard to justify paying $4.15 million to someone who is stinking up the joint and doing the opposite of what he was signed to do. You can say all you want about not feeling safe with Manuel under center, but the fact of the matter is that Cassel’s numbers in the past few seasons have only been marginally better than Manuel’s in his first two with the former Florida State star coming at a fraction of the cost.

And we haven’t even started talking about Taylor yet, because the four-year backup is intriguing due to his age, 25, and also comes at a fraction of the cost with $1.2 million in guaranteed money (making his job and Manuel’s safe).

Of the quarterbacks on the Buffalo Bills roster, only Cassel is at risk of being released, and he will get the axe if he continues to be the team’s worst-performing QB. I think that’s what it boils down to, though his leash could be even shorter than anticipated if the Bills are truly feeling stingy. That said, Cassel’s experience and the lack of certainty in Manuel and Taylor plays into the 33-year-old’s hands, so the former Viking probably just has to prove he’s better than one of the other two QBs on the roster (for him, that would preferably be Taylor).

Next: Bills Have Two Top 50 WRs

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