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Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has not had the best of starts in his first year with the team.
Bills fans aren't happy at all about his decision to trade away two of the team's young standout players – wide receiver Sammy Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby – during the offseason to create more cap room for the near future.
Then, in Week 3 of the preseason, starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered a concussion. Although Buffalo's GM had no hand in Taylor's untimely injury, the fact remains that the Bills are spiraling further downward even before Opening Week kicks off.
Thankfully, there's some positive news coming out of Buffalo's camp. ESPN's Mike Rodak (H/T Marc Sessler of NFL.com) reported that Beane spoke with Taylor and believes that the 28-year-old play-caller will be ready to go for Week 1.
From Rodak's interview on WGR 550’s John Murphy Show, transcribed by Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams:
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“I feel good about it,” Beane said Thursday on WGR 550’s John Murphy Show. “I’ve seen Tyrod, talked to him. I think from a layman’s perspective, he seems like he’s doing well, and I feel like he, in his mind, is on track and ready to play that Week 1. And if he’s out there, he’s the guy we want. He’s the starter. He’s got a lot of starts in this league, and we’re looking forward to him leading us out.”
This is definitely good news for the Bills, who can't afford to lose their clear-cut starting QB in hopes of getting their 2017 season off to a good start. Although Taylor didn't appear to be in fantastic form during his limited reps in the preseason, the former ACC Player of the Year is undoubtedly the Bills' one and only dependable play-caller on the roster.
Taylor, a Pro Bowl replacement in 2015, finished with over 3,000 passing yards and 550 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons in Buffalo, along with a total of 47 offensive touchdowns (10 on the ground).
Should there be complications with Taylor's recovery, long-time backup T.J. Yates and 2017 fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman are waiting in the wings. Yates also took a huge hit last weekend and is joined by Taylor in the concussion protocol, although his body of work during his six-year NFL career thus far leaves little to be desired. Meanwhile, the rookie Peterman looked like Buffalo's best quarterback this preseason, averaging 113.3 passing yards per game and a decent 54.4 completion percentage.
