The Bills’ quarterback competition has taken an odd turn.
Just when it appeared to be a two-way race between Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor, Bills coach Rex Ryan announced today that EJ Manuel will start the Bills’ next preseason game, Saturday afternoon against the Steelers.
That’s a surprise, as the third preseason game is usually the game when teams put give their projected starters the most playing time. Putting Manuel in at quarterback for the third preseason game suggests that he has a real shot at earning the job for Week One of the regular season, which previously didn’t appear to be the case.
Ryan said, however, that all three quarterbacks will get some time with the first-string offense on Saturday. So Manuel’s time with the starters may be brief.
In the end, Manuel still appears to be a long shot to win the starting quarterback job for the regular season. But if he plays well on Saturday, and if Taylor and Cassel struggle, it’s at least possible that Manuel could find himself back on the top of the depth chart when the season starts.