EJ Manuel: Latest News, Rumors and Speculation on Bills QB's Future

Beginning with their decision to pluck Kyle Orton from free agency last year, the Buffalo Bills have made their lack of belief in quarterback EJ Manuel clear. It appears they may be willing to take an even more drastic step in 2015 if Manuel doesn't show improvement.  

Continue for updates.

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Carucci: Manuel Will be Starter or Not on Team

Friday, May 22

Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News joined Team Stream Now to report the latest on Manuel's status with the team:

On May 19, Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman spoke about EJ Manuel and reported that the organization has lost faith in the quarterback, saying, "It couldn't be further from the truth," via Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com.

Despite that, Roman said the quarterback position is up for grabs and that it was too early to say that there was a leader among the group, via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.

On May 18, Buscaglia reported that the Bills may cut Manuel if he does not show "clear progress" in offseason workouts:

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If former first-round pick and quarterback EJ Manuel doesn't show some serious progress this spring and summer at OTAs, minicamp and training camp, he very well may be enjoying his final few months in Buffalo as a member of the organization.

[...]

The 'make or break' rhetoric used by the decision makers over at One Bills Drive when it comes to Manuel's third season in the league isn't just throwaway, clichéd football speak. They mean it.

The Bills will use all the workouts to decide not only if EJ Manuel will be their starting quarterback, but also if they believe he warrants a spot on the roster.

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Manuel, 25, was the team's first-round pick in 2013. After starting 10 games and showing intermittent progress as a rookie, Manuel was benched for Orton after four games in 2014 and never reclaimed his starting job. He finished with 838 yards and five touchdowns against three interceptions.

Rumblings of Buffalo's unhappiness with Manuel's progress date back to the Orton signing and were confirmed when the team tabbed the aging career backup as its starter. While the coaching staff in place when that decision was made is gone, so are most organizational ties to Manuel. General manager Doug Whaley is the lone prominent face remaining among the brain trust that selected the former Florida State star.

That said, it remains unlikely the Bills will cut Manuel outright. Manuel has $2.8 million due over the next two seasons, all of which is guaranteed under the terms of the NFL's rookie pay scale. The Bills would eat nearly $3 million in cap space to cut him, per Spotrac.

The damage would lessen if they could find a trade partner, but it'd still be a curious decision given Buffalo's current quarterback depth chart. Matt Cassel, who has thrown 30 touchdowns against 34 interceptions and lost multiple starting jobs over the last four seasons, is the only other viable option on the roster. Even if Manuel isn't the long-term answer, he's shown enough to at least be a higher-upside option than Cassel.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.