The Buffalo Bills have Rex Ryan taking over as head coach and he has opened the quarterback competition with Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel and Tyrod Taylor competing to start and this comes as the offense has gotten some major help from Percy Harvin, Charles Clay and LeSean McCoy this offseason and that gives great depth with Sammy Watkins, Fred Jackson, Anthony Dixon and Robert Woods on the roster.
The Bills had Manuel from the last regime under Doug Marrone and the team brought in Cassel in a trade with the Vikings. Taylor was previously with the Ravens behind Joe Flacco and the New York Daily News reports that Ryan is giving Taylor a real chance to win the starting job. NFL.com reported in April that the Bills will be giving "equal reps" for all three of their quarterbacks in OTA practices, but that may not last into training camp.
--UPDATE: Matt Simms has been signed after his release from the Jets.
By the time training camp starts the QB battle could be taking shape and that could push one of the three into a firm backup spot. The team moves on from Jeff Tuel and now it's a three man fight for the starting job. Cassel has the inside track because he has the most experience, while Manuel and Taylor are coming in with limited time under center. Manuel has had his chances and Ryan said that he has a clean slate after the time under Marrone. Marrone was fired partially because Manuel did not develop into a consistent starter.
Manuel has had his chances and he may be in a tough spot, as he may have to prove a bit more than Cassel or Taylor to win the job after the way he performed the past two seasons. The Buffalo News reports that Ryan likely will not name a starter until he is in training camp and that gives Manuel and Taylor the chance to catch up to Cassel. While Cassel is not going to put up crazy numbers, he is the most competent of the three and also has the most experience.
The Bills nearly made the playoffs last season despite having mediocre quarterback play and if they can get some consistency from the position, the offense should be strong. Adding McCoy really should open up the running game with Fred Jackson as his backup, while the wide receivers have depth and explosive skills. Clay signed a big contract this offseason and he is a major upgrade from Scott Chandler. The Bills already had exciting rookie Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods on the roster and now they have added Harvin and Clay.
Watkins is dealing with a hip issue after getting surgery following the season and he spoke to the Buffalo News about his recovery and his offseason preparation. Watkins said that he's "behind" in the process of getting work with the offense due to his injury and WGR 550 Buffalo reported that he would not be participating in drills while being cautious with his hip.
Watkins had a strong season last year with 65 catches for 982 yards and six touchdowns, but with a new quarterback likely taking over (or Manuel with limited work from last season) Watkins will want to build chemistry with the new offense. Harvin and Clay have spoken highly of Ryan and both players along with McCoy could give the Bills a potent offense to go with an already strong defense.
