The trade that sent quarterback Tarvaris Jackson to the Buffalo Bills resulted in the prompt termination of the services of Vince Young.
Apart from the fact that the third overall pick in the 2006 draft was supplanted by a small-school quarterback taken later that same year, the Jackson trade carries with it other layers of intrigue.
Jackson started his college career more than a decade ago at Arkansas, when Bills quarterbacks coach David Lee was on the staff. Given that Lee had a big hand in the creation of the Dolphins’ Wildcat offense and in light of the fact that, in 2009, Jackson lined up a couple of times as the personal punt protector in Minnesota, there’s a chance that Lee could try to use Jackson, who has been a pocket passer for most of his career, as a more versatile weapon.
Indeed, Tim Graham of the Buffalo News told PFT Live on Tuesday that Jackson could be used as part of the Bills’ alternative Wildcat package. Graham explained that Vince Young was expected to be part of the attack, too.
Brad Smith is expected to be the quarterback when the alternative offense takes the field. If a more traditional quarterback is on the field, too, the Bills’ version of the Wildcat will be more like the real Wildcat, with the defense not knowing when the huddle breaks exactly which player will be getting the shotgun snap.
Regardless of what Jackson will or won’t be doing in the Wildcat offense, Graham explained that the move to Jackson ultimately was made because the Bills wanted to upgrade the No. 2 quarterback position, given ongoing concerns about Tyler Thigpen.
For more on the trade for Jackson, the release of Young, and other things Bills-related (including the division of backfield labor between Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller), check out Graham’s visit to PFT Live.