Buffalo Bills Will Look to NFL Draft to Fix Quarterback Issues
By Josh Hill
Free agency is in full swing, but the Buffalo Bills have been quiet when it comes to big name, big money signings. But what the Bills do have is a quarterback crisis and it’s one that might be fixed during this April’s NFL Draft. The Bills cut Ryan Fitzpatrick on Tuesday but that didn’t calm the quarterback controversy brewing in Buffalo as the Bills currently have Tavaris Jackson listed as their starting quarterback.
That will likely change though, as Jackson is merely the starter by default. What the Bills will do is look to draft a quarterback this April, the only question is who will it be and how high are the Bills willing to take one?
From the start, the Bills have been linked to numerous college quarterbacks and many people have believed for a long time that the Bills will be willing to spend a first round pick on one. Tyler Wilson remains a big name and Ryan Nassib has been linked to the Bills due to the fact his college coach at Syracuse, Doug Marrone, is now in Buffalo in his first year coaching the Bills.
There’s also the Geno Smith complex, as Buffalo appears to be currently sitting too low to draft him but may try to trade up to get him. Smith’s draft stock is currently going through the roof once again and he’s being linked to all three teams at the top of the draft this year.
Many thought the Bills would be landing spot for Alex Smith or Micheal Vick but once both quarterbacks went to different teams, the Bills quarterback situation got even more complicated. The next step was to look at free agency to help find quarterback relief but a thin market has proven to be fruitless as the best available quarterback is ironically Fitzpatrick.
Aaron Corp is a dark horse as he was signed back in February but is likely just a seat filler at the moment. Jackson is the only quarterback on the Bills roster with any respectable NFL experience, but experience does not equate to talent in Jackson’s case. Quarterback was a position the Bills were going to look at upgrading anyways this offseason, but now that Fitzpatrick is gone and Jackson has been penciled in as the starter, the upgrade has become a necessity.