EJ Manuel was the only quarterback taken in the first round of the 2013 draft by the Buffalo Bills. He might not even be on the roster at the beginning of the season. Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reported Monday the Bills may cut Manuel if he does not show “clear progress” in offseason workouts.
If former first-round pick and quarterback EJ Manuel doesn’t show some serious progress this spring and summer at OTAs, minicamp and training camp, he very well may be enjoying his final few months in Buffalo as a member of the organization.
The ‘make or break’ rhetoric used by the decision makers over at One Bills Drive when it comes to Manuel’s third season in the league isn’t just throwaway, clichéd football speak. They mean it.
The Bills will use all the workouts to decide not only if EJ Manuel will be their starting quarterback, but also if they believe he warrants a spot on the roster.
Manuel started 10 games during his rookie season and showed flashes of being a consistent quarterback, but injuries cost him the rest of his rookie season. Poor play during training camp and the beginning of the season forced the organization to asked retried QB Kyle Orton to come in and replace Manuel.
Though it wouldn’t be a terrible move for the Bills to move on from Manuel because of the new coaching staff, it would be a hard to eat his 2.8 million contract, which would actually mean 3 million in “dead cap money.”
Bills desperately need 2016 cap space. Trading Manuel would have extra benefit of effectively clearing $2.8M in space (w/ carry over).
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) May 18, 2015
This seems to set up Manuel for a breaking point in his career. If he doesn’t beat out Matt Cassel for the starting role this season, his time in Buffalo will officially be on the clock.
KingJut (@KingJut92)
