Bills Announce Kyle Orton Is Taking Over For E.J. Manuel

The Buffalo Bills announced Monday that veteran QB Kyle Orton is taking over for former first-round pick as the team’s starting quarterback.

BREAKING: #Bills head coach Doug Marrone announces that Kyle Orton will replace EJ Manuel at QB.

— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) September 29, 2014

Tim Graham of the Buffalo News recently mentioned that the talk of Orton taking over was “getting louder” around the Bills on Monday, so this doesn’t come as a complete surprise.

HC Doug Marrone mentioned that “[Manuel] handled it professionally, it’s never an easy thing. He showed a helluva lot of courage.”

The Bills brought Orton in as a contingency option in the event that Manuel continued to struggle during his second year in the league. Buffalo shelled out a good deal of money to get Orton, as they signed him to a two-year deal worth $11 million that includes a base salary of $5.5 million for the 2014 season. Orton also received $3 million fully guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus.

This makes you wonder whether or not the team has completely given up on the idea Manuel being quarterback of the future just a little over a year into his NFL career.

Orton, 31, stepped in for Tony Romo after he suffered a season-ending back injury last season and threw for 358 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to the Eagles.

Manuel, 24, has completed 58 percent of his passes for 838 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions over the course of four games.