Bills GM Says They’ll “Absolutely” Consider Drafting A QB Early

Bills GM Doug Whaley admitted that they would “absolutely” consider taking a quarterback early in this year’s NFL draft.

Whaley mentioned that both Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel will be entering the final year of their respective contracts, which means they won’t rule anything out until they know what their options really are.

“We’ll do it because if you look at it, unfortunately we have two quarterbacks on the roster and both of them are entering the last year of their contract,” Whaley said, via the Buffalo News. “If it presents itself, it makes sense and it’s a guy we like, and we believe in, absolutely.”

Whaley  referred to this year’s class of quarterback prospects as a “deep crop.”

“I think it’s a deep crop and I think it’s a crop that’s going to need some time,” Whaley said. “Now, it depends on their situation, who takes them and what they do. But I would say it’s not as top-heavy as last year where those top two guys would still be the top two guys. How quickly these guys can matriculate into the league, I think it’s going to take a little bit of time. Maybe a year, maybe a half of a year.”

Taylor, 26, managed to beat out Matt Cassel, who has since been traded to the Cowboys, and EJ Manuel for the starting job during the preseason.

This season, Taylor threw for 3,035 yards passing while completing 63.7 percent of his passes to go along with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. Taylor has also contributed 568 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns over the course of 14 games.

Manuel, 25, hasn’t lived up to his draft status after the Bills used their No. 16 overall pick on him back in 2013. He will be entering the final year of his five-year, $8,885,300 rookie contract and stands to make a base salary of $1,616,632 for the 2016 season.

It’s worth mentioning that the Bills will have to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option in the coming months. However, it would really be surprising to see them do so, considering that his 2017 salary would become guaranteed upon injury.

In 2015, Manuel appeared in seven games for the Bills and threw for 561 yards while completing 61.9 percent of his passes to go along with three touchdowns and three interceptions.