After a tense three-way quarterback battle in Buffalo, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, head coach Rex Ryan has named Tyrod Taylor the winner of the competition, and thus will be the Bills' week one starting quarterback when they face the Indianapolis Colts on September 13th.

Taylor was battling against EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel, both who have experience as an NFL starting quarterback, but Taylor was the one who won out after going 24-for-31 with 236 yards during preseason action.

Many thought that Cassel would come away with the starting job as he has the most experience, but Taylor provides a different skill-set for the Bills as he is a dual threat player being someone who can run as well as pass.

In Buffalo's preseason game on Saturday, those three along with fourth-stringer Matt Simms impressed against the Pittsburgh Steelers as combined they were 30-for-33 with 395 yards and three touchdowns. Simms will get the starting nod in the final preseason game against the Detroit Lions and is expected to play the entire game. The Bills are looking like they will keep three quarterbacks on the roster "unless something else happens," according to Ryan.

As for Taylor, he is entering his fifth NFL season after being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. His last start came in college for Virginia Tech in the 2011 Orange Bowl, a game in which they lost 40-12 to Stanford and now Colts starter Andrew Luck (Buffalo's week one opponent).

Back in March, Taylor signed a three-year deal with the Bills that could be reduced to two years based on the number of snaps he plays in 2015 or 2016. His cap number will be $833,333 and can earn up to $2 million based on incentives and a potential playoff appearance.

With Taylor being named the starting quarterback in Buffalo, the Bills have seemingly filled their last gap on this team. Their defense is looking stout once again, and after acquiring LeSean McCoy from the Eagles in the offseason their offense is multi-dimensional with two good receivers in Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins on the outside to go along with McCoy in the run game.

Head coach Rex Ryan didn't want word of his starter to get out, keeping the Colts from game planning for a certain quarterback.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Josh Eastern
I live in Seattle, Washington and attend Indiana University as a journalism major. You can follow me on Twitter (@JoshEastern) and feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions/thoughts.