Tyrod Taylor is forcing the Bills into a difficult choice this offseason, and it has created a rift between Rex Ryan and the rest of Buffalo’s front office, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. Ryan has been a confident supporter of Taylor all season, and reiterated this week that there was no chance of them turning to Cardale Jones this year. On the other hand, Doug Whaley has been reluctant to commit to Taylor beyond this season, and Carucci reports that he would like to see Jones starting at the end of this season.
This debate has created a rift that may be threatening Ryan’s job security. Carucci’s report (along with Tim Graham’s) suggest that the team wants to keep Anthony Lynn and the rest of the player personnel department available, but are otherwise preparing to move on for this season.
As the fans posting in our comments section would indicate, the choice of what to do with Taylor is a hot debate. Buffalo handed him a “prove-it” deal allowing the team to cut Taylor if he played poorly or to extend him for cheap if he improved in his second season. Unfortunately for the decision-makers, he’s sitting squarely in the middle. Taylor has had some games where his accuracy is on point, but he’s also had stretches where he’s been mind-numbingly inaccurate and slow to read the field. Furthermore, he has an abysmal performance playing when the game is on the line. There are enough highlights to give one the impression that he has further potential to unlock, but he’s so inconsistent it seems foolhardy to commit a chunk of money his way. With a few rookies already playing well in the NFL, it may be time for the team to see what their fourth rounder can do.