Throughout much of the 2018 season, the Buffalo Bills have had much difficulty finding stability at the quarterback position behind rookie Josh Allen.
This has subsequently led the team to make the decision on Friday to ink backup Matt Barkley to a two-year extension that runs through the 2020 season, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.
Article Continues BelowThe Bills announced they have signed Matt Barkleyto a two-year contract extension through 2020.
This move clearly shows that the team believes that he can be a highly reliable backup option if Allen were to be sidelined by any means. The Bills had initially brought him aboard on Oct. 31 after Allen suffered an elbow injury and Derek Anderson's concussion protocol designation.
Barkley immediately stepped into a spot start against the New York Jets in Week 10 where he provided some significant stability as he completed 15 of 25 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-10 win. This has likely given the franchise confidence that he could step into any situation if necessary to provide stable play.
Prior to this year, Barkley had last played in a regular-season game back in the 2016 season with the Chicago Bears, where he played in seven games where he had 1,611 passing yards with eight touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He began the year with the Cincinnati Bengals after inking a two-year contract, but he was placed on the injured reserve back in September after suffering a knee injury in the preseason. He was released back in early September after the two sides reached an injury settlement. This move was made simply to have stable depth behind Allen over the next two seasons.