The Buffalo Bills find themselves at an interesting crossroads. The team has hovered around .500 for the past two seasons and the roster has some interesting pieces in place. But despite a solid season, questions remain about Buffalo's starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
The 2011 sixth-rounder surprised the entire NFL with his steady and efficient play last season following four years as a backup for the Baltimore Ravens. The 26-year-old passer completed 63.7 percent of his passes in 2015 while throwing for 3,035 yards with 20 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 14 games. He also rushed for 568 yards and four touchdowns on a 5.5 YPC. The Bills went 8-6 in games that Taylor started last year and his passer rating of 99.4 was good for seventh in the league (ahead of guys like Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers).
But it was plain to see that Buffalo was not asking too much of Taylor and that the team ran into trouble whenever they were forced to rely too much on the passing game. The Bills lost six of the nine games in which Taylor attempted at least 25 passes and Buffalo ranked just 28th in the league in passing yards per game (208.9) last season.
Taylor has just one year remaining on his contract with the team and the two sides do not appear to be close to an extension. It will be interesting to see if Buffalo targets a QB early in this year's draft as a result. The team is already doing its due diligence on Memphis passer Paxton Lynch, who reportedly went out to dinner with offensive coordinator Greg Roman yesterday.
Who took QB Paxton Lynch to dinner last night? That would be the Buffalo Bills, ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reports. OC Greg Roman in Memphis.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) April 6, 2016
With the No. 19 overall pick, the Bills are too far away to entertain thoughts of Cal's Jared Goff or North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. But Lynch may very well be available when the Bills are on the clock. The Los Angeles Rams (No. 15) are a threat to nab the big armed passer, but they continue to say that they're content with Case Keenum as their starter.
Whether or not you believe them, Lynch does make a certain amount of sense for the Bills. He's considered more of a long-term project, so Buffalo could have him sit and learn behind Taylor for the next two seasons. Though he has weaknesses - ball placement, anticipation, progressions - he also has a solid track record of success.
In 2015, Lynch completed 66.8 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,778 yards with 28 touchdowns against just four interceptions. It was his second consecutive season with single-digit picks.
No, Lynch isn't a perfect prospect. But he could develop into a decent starter down the line which is enough to put him on Buffalo's draft radar.
