One of the first big decisions new Bills coach Doug Marrone is going to be in on will be at quarterback.
And he’ll have some inside information on the proceedings, one way or another.
Marrone didn’t shed much light on the status of incumbent starter Ryan Fitzpatrick during his introductory press conference.
“I haven’t had the time to make those evaluations,” Marrone said, via Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. “I don’t talk about players in the press. I’m looking forward to evaluating this time with our great scouting staff, getting to know them, and starting that process.”
Of course, he can start much sooner, as he and Fitzpatrick share an agent, Jimmy Sexton.
It might be hard for Sexton to make both clients happy, as Fitzpatrick is due a $3 million roster bonus in March, and it’s no sure thing that happens. Bills GM Buddy Nix was emphatic about drafting a quarterback this year, to the extent of advocating for trading up to get one.
“We covered that, just like we covered everything, but I don’t think we emphasized that any more,” Nix said when asked whether the quarterback situation came up during Marrone’s interview.
One of the draftable quarterbacks they’re looking at will be Ryan Nassib, a three-year starter for Marrone at Syracuse.
“I love him. He did an outstanding job for our football team. He’s really grown in the last couple of years; he put a lot of emphasis on the leadership role and really took over the team. He’s a player that has gotten quite a bit better during the year,” Marrone said of Nassib, during an appearance on the NFL Network. “He’s going to be playing in this league. I haven’t studied the draft, I haven’t gone through that; that’s down the road for me as far as the process of what I have to go through. But I do know that he’ll be in this league, so I’m excited for him.”
Figuring out that position will be his first priority, and his connections with his agent and his college will at least give him a jump-start on the process.