Buffalo Bills Rumor: Tyrod Taylor Emerging Ahead In Quarterback Battle, E.J. Manuel Falling To Third

The Buffalo Bills are still looking for separation in the three-way quarterback race going down in training camp, but new rumors indicate that Tyrod Taylor could be the one starting to pull ahead.

Going into camp, the Bills were splitting time between Taylor, third-year quarterback E.J. Manuel, and veteran Matt Cassel. So far, coach Rex Ryan has been rotating the first team, giving equal reps to all three, but reports from camp indicate that Taylor could be the one showing the most potential.

He looked sharp in practices on Wednesday and Thursday, including throwing two touchdowns and going 5-for-6 in an 11-on-11 red zone drill.

But the quarterback race is changing almost all the time. After a strong showing in the team’s scrimmage on Sunday night, Manuel appeared to be headed for the starting job.

“It feels good,” Manuel said following the scrimmage, via the Buffalo News. “But understanding that, you know, this isn’t all that it’s going to take to win the job. You know you’ve got to keep doing it, keep stacking good days and that’s the biggest thing, focus on what I can do to get better and not worry about anything else.”

Manuel said he is trying to stay loose amid the stress of the quarterback race.

“Once I knew I was starting, I definitely said lets go out and have fun because if you try to do too much, that’s when you play locked up and you’re not doing what you know you can do,” Manuel said. “So, I definitely felt like I was able to take a breath of fresh air and just go out here and play. There’s some things I still want to clean up, but I had fun, that was the biggest thing.”

Despite the strong play, E.J. Manuel will go into the team’s first preseason game on Friday as the third-string back. Coach Rex Ryan had already committed to starting Cassel, and that will likely rotate for the following games.

EJ Manuel won’t start when the @buffalobills suit up Friday. He won’t be the #2 QB either: http://t.co/cTOq1rFttv pic.twitter.com/kL3sm8DINJ

— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2015

The Buffalo Bills quarterback race could get especially interesting if Taylor or Manuel should happen to grab the job. There are rumors that the Bills may actually cut Matt Cassel if he doesn’t emerge as the clear-cut starter, a move that would save roughly $4 million in cap space.

[Image via Jim Rogash/Getty Images]