National Football League

Rex Ryan more excited about Tyrod Taylor than Matt Cassel?

Published Jun. 30, 2015 4:36 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Rachel Wold

The Buffalo Bills acquired Tyrod Taylor and Matt Cassel to challenge E.J. Manuel for their starting quarterback job. First-year head coach Rex Ryan has said that all three quarterbacks would compete for the starting role.

When the quarterbacks were signed, the common opinion was that Cassel would likely work his way into becoming the team’s starter. However, this might not be the case. According to the Buffalo News, Ryan has shown more enthusiasm for Taylor than Cassel. It is also reported that Ryan has had his eye on coaching Taylor for quite some time, previously hoping the Jets would be able to acquire him.

Ryan reportedly is intrigued with Taylor’s speed, as the QB ran a 4.51 40-year dash at the combine.

The major downside to Taylor would be his lack of action in the NFL compared to Cassel. Taylor served four seasons as the backup to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. During his tenure in Baltimore, Taylor tallied only 19 completed passes for 199 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

While Ryan seems to “favor” Taylor, putting him under center come Week 1 could be risky. Though, certain reports at the close of minicamp suggested that Cassel might actually be released by the team prior to the season—a scenario that would leave Taylor competing against Manuel for the starting gig.

For the time being, it sounds like Taylor could enter the competition with a bit of a leg up, at least in Ryan’s eyes.

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