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Bills rumors: Tyrod Taylor not entrenched as starter

By Brad Berreman

Dec 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) throws a pass against the Oakland Raiders during a NFL football game at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) throws a pass against the Oakland Raiders during a NFL football game at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Buffalo Bills have a new head coach and general manager, so Tyrod Taylor will have to earn the starting job.

At this stage of the NFL offseason, the biggest buzz word for all 32 teams is “competition.” Supposed competition for starting jobs at quarterback particularly tend to generate interest.

After some doubt about his future with the Buffalo Bills, Tyrod Taylor is back on a restructured contract and atop the depth chart at quarterback. With a new head coach in Sean McDermott and now a new general manager in Brandon Beane, working in concert, Taylor may have to, you guessed it, compete for the starting job.

In an interview with Peter King of The MMQB, McDermott and Beane made it clear Taylor is not promised the starting gig.

"“We have open competition everywhere. Obviously it is a quarterback league, but with Tyrod … He has some tools, his speed, he is tough to game-plan for. He has some strengths and he is still a young starter in this league. It is going to be a competition for every position, to let them fight it out and earn the right to start on this team,” Beane told King."

"“Can we guarantee (Buffalo’s quarterback of the future) is on our roster right now? That remains to be seen and that is true at a lot of positions on our roster,” McDermott added."

Behind Taylor on the depth chart, in some order, is 2016 fourth-round pick Cardale Jones, 2017 fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman and veteran journeyman T.J. Yates. 2016 undrafted free agent Josh Woodrum, who is on a futures contact with the Bills, is nothing more than a camp arm. Jones was rumored to be an option to start this year early in the offseason, but that was when former general manager Doug Whaley was still in place.

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It would be an incredible upset if Taylor is not the Bills’ starting quarterback going into the season. But he is essentially on a one-year deal now, so the new regime will not be handcuffed by a contract that was originally poorly structured from the team’s perspective.

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