Tyrod Taylor Beats out Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel to Win Bills' QB Battle

Tyrod Taylor was officially named the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, beating out EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel.

Head coach Rex Ryan confirmed the news on Monday, via Mike Rodak of ESPN after Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported the news. 

Glazer reported on Ryan's decision, saying the "Bills have liked Taylor since [the] start of camp, even though it was [an] open competition."

Rodak noted that Taylor can make up to $2 million in incentives this season as the starting quarterback.

Cassel entered training camp as the favorite because of his experience, but Manuel may have the most potential of the group, as the Bills selected him with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Taylor, meanwhile, is the biggest enigma after sitting behind Joe Flacco for four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. However, he started the team's second preseason game and played well, and Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com broke down Taylor's impressive performance against the Browns:

"

He was down to the seventh and eighth wide receivers and the sixth and seventh running backs on the depth chart. He kept plays alive with his legs and managed to distribute the ball to six different wide receivers. Taylor is very much still alive in this quarterback race and made it a lot more interesting with his performance.  

"

According to Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com, Ryan said on Aug. 22 there is a "high possibility" Taylor, Manuel and Cassel will stay on the roster for the season. He also said, "I think they've performed better than a lot of people anticipated, but not me," per Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News.

The Bills are a supremely talented team with a defense that ranked No. 4 in points and yards allowed last season while leading the league in sacks. They also have a stacked offense featuring running back LeSean McCoy and wide receivers Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin and Robert Woods.

Making the playoffs for the first time since 1999 and ending the longest postseason drought in the league may ultimately come down to the quarterback situation, and Taylor will be responsible for guiding the team to the playoffs in Ryan's first season.

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