Everyone knows that quarterback is by far the most important position in all of football. Unfortunately, there aren't enough high caliber passers to go around, which is why the NFL is divided into the haves and have-nots. For example, the New England Patriots haven't had to worry about the QB position for well over a decade and are consistent Super Bowl contenders as a result. The Cleveland Browns, however, have had a revolving door at the position for years which leads to them always picking near the top of the draft.
So what about the Buffalo Bills? MMQB raised the question of whether or not Tyrod Taylor is the quarterback of the future for Buffalo. When asked, Bills general manager Doug Whaley offered only lukewarm support for his QB.
"Is he the long-term starter?" Whaley said to ESPN. "Let's put it this way: He's shown us enough that we can obviously keep trying with him. But it won't preclude us from going out and protecting ourselves [in case] he's not."
Taylor has started just 11 games in his NFL career, going 6-5 overall. His raw numbers this season - 63.5%, 2,439 passing yards, 371 rushing yards, 21 total TDs, five INTs - are much better than most expected, but the Bills are at their best when they don't have to rely on Taylor to win them games. Buffalo is 0-5 when Taylor attempts 30 or more passes. They are undefeated when he comes in under that number.
Taylor signed a three-year, $3.35 million deal with Buffalo this offseason, but the final season was voided when he played more than 50 percent of the offensive snaps this season. Essentially, Taylor is now playing for a new deal in 2016.
If he continues to take care of the football, avoid costly mistakes, and make the necessary plays with his arm and legs, he will have earned a contract that keeps him in Buffalo for a few more years. However, that's a big if for someone who hadn't attempted more than 29 passes in a season before this year.
