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The Buffalo Bills were clearly ready to make a change at quarterback this offseason. They told long-time starter Ryan Fitzpatrick to take a hike, and then proceeded to sign Kevin Kolb and select E.J. Manuel in the first round of the draft. Now as we’re moving closer to training camp, the questions will start to fly over who will start this season at QB. To me, the main question should be whether or not to even consider starting Kolb?
If a team reaches a bit for a QB in the first round, you know he’s going to start some time in the near future. The Bills saw something about Manuel that they really liked, and much to everyone’s surprise, he was the first QB off the board in this year’s draft. But with Kolb signed to a fairly lucrative deal for the next two seasons, will Buffalo want to see what he can do? Or did they just want him for an insurance policy?
Based on the way we’ve seen rookie QBs play over the last couple of years, I don’t see any reason to not go all in on Manuel. He’s the hand-picked guy, and the player with the most playmaking potential. For a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 13 years, why not just see what the rookie can do? Unless Manuel is just clearly not ready to play on Sundays, I see no reason that he shouldn’t be the starter from day one.
Kolb will be a decent backup to have on the roster, but it’s unlikely he ever evolves out of that role. He hasn’t done much of anything over his career, and that’s just even more reason to see what Manuel can do starting week one.
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