Buffalo Bills release quarterback Thad Lewis, per report

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Buffalo Bills have released quarterback Thad Lewis.

The news comes after Monday evening's report, via Field Yates of ESPN, that the Bills will be signing veteran quarterback Jordan Palmer, who was released on Sunday by the Chicago Bears. The quarterback flip keeps the Bills at 75 players in advance of today's 4:00 p.m. ET cutdown deadline.

Lewis, acquired by the Bills via trade at the tail end of the 2013 preseason, made five starts as the Bills' backup quarterback last year. He led Buffalo to two wins in those contests - both over the division-rival Miami Dolphins - while throwing for 1,092 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

This summer, however, Lewis' play took a nosedive. He completed just 16-of-33 passes with two interceptions in three preseason games, and had lost ground to Jeff Tuel in the backup quarterback race. When he did not play in Saturday afternoon's loss to Tampa Bay, he did not look long for the roster.

EJ Manuel, of course, is entrenched as the Bills' starting quarterback heading into the regular season. It's likely that Tuel will open the season as the primary backup, but with Palmer on board and Lewis out of the picture, the expectation will be that Palmer elevates to the No. 2 job as soon as he's ready. It might not take him long to get there.