As the Buffalo Bills get set to square off with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7, they seem to be preparing as if promising quarterback Tyrod Taylor will not be part of their gameday effort. On Monday, Bills head coach Rex Ryan told reporters that Taylor was pretty "beat up." On Tuesday, a source indicated to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News that Taylor was "hurt pretty bad," and that the injury was significant enough to push the team to pursue quarterbacks with up-to-date passports. Why? Because the team travels to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 25.
UPDATE, 2:45 p.m.: Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports is reporting that Taylor could miss "multiple games" after suffering an MCL sprain on Sunday against the Titans.
While this doesn't speak directly to the severity of Taylor's injury, it does seem to suggest that Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman are sufficiently concerned with their quarterback's long term prospects as to want to ensure that they're covered in case Taylor not only can't go this weekend against Cincinnati, but also the following week against Jacksonville.
The Bills have signed Josh Johnson, the veteran quarterback signed, dropped and re-signed by the Indianapolis Colts over the past couple of weeks as Colts starter Andrew Luck battled his own injury issues, which seems yet another sign that Taylor's injury may not be of the day-to-day variety.
If Taylor is unable to go, former first-round pick EJ Manuel is likely to get the nod. Manuel was chosen by Bills GM Doug Whaley, but for the Doug Marrone-led coaching staff. There was talks that the Bills could part ways with him after Ryan took over this offseason, but it seems the team wants to see if they can coax an NFL-caliber signal-caller out of him.
It sounds like they'll probably get their first look at Manuel as a starter this week, and depending on his play and the extent of Taylor's injury, maybe next week as well.
