Buffalo Bills Still Planning On Brad Smith As Third QB

In the immediate aftermath of the Buffalo Bills' trade for backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, a slew of fans trying to wrap their minds around the move speculated that the move could spell doom for Brad Smith. That was before the team had released Vince Young, of course, but if there were any lingering doubts, Chan Gailey laid those to rest on Monday.

"Oh yeah," Gailey responded when asked if he still planned on using Smith as the third quarterback. "Yeah, that has not changed. That part has not changed at all."

It's still unclear whether or not the Bills will keep four quarterbacks on the roster, and that decision will be based almost exclusively on whether or not Gailey and the coaching staff is comfortable with Jackson being the primary backup knowing that his rep count in this offense will be almost entirely non-existent by Week 1.

But it's clear at this point that the looming decision at quarterback has nothing to do with Smith. His job is safe. (Ryan Fitzpatrick is obviously unaffected, as well.) The choice will simply be whether or not to keep Tyler Thigpen on the active roster until Jackson is ready to assume backup duties.