With their Preseason only a few days away, the Bills have named Matt Cassel as their starting quarterback for Friday’s tilt with the Carolina Panthers. This may seem confusing if you were to take a look at the Bills’ first unofficial depth chart of the 2015 season.
“Yeah we’ll start him [Cassel] on Friday and then how much work he gets, we’ll see,” Bills head coach Rex Ryan told reporters following practice Monday.
Here’s the Buffalo Bills’ full unofficial depth chart, sports fans pic.twitter.com/PINU3o7UHJ
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) August 10, 2015
Curious, albeit not a complete shock, the Bills current depth chart has all three quarterbacks (Cassel, Manuel and Taylor) listed on the depth chart as the starter. Ryan hinted Tuesday the quarterback dilemma would more than likely extend until the third preseason game.
Be on the look out for the following story lines while enjoying your first taste of Buffalo Bills football for the 2015 season:
1. QB Play- The most crucial aspect the Bills coaching staff will be analyzing here is consistency. As it is early in the process still, Ryan considers himself tolerant of the lack of consistency at the quarterback position thus far. “I’m patient. I anticipated this thing drawing out a little bit and I think the big thing is to be fair and get the right guy. I think that’s what we owe our fan base, that’s what we owe our football team,” Ryan told reporters following Monday’s practice.
Although Cassel has been dubbed the starter, his playing time for Friday has not yet been disclosed.
Subsequently Manuel and Taylor’s playing time has not been made public as well. Nevertheless, all three will have plenty of chances to show the coaching staff just how consistent they can be at Ralph Wilson Stadium Friday night.
2. Competition at Right Tackle- Aside from all eyes being on the quarterbacks, the right tackle position has been one of the most intriguing positional competitions so far in camp. Two second year players, Cyrus Kouandjio and Seantrel Henderson are the top two contenders for the starting position. Currently, Henderson has the upper hand, “Yeah Seantrel I think is really doing well. But again he will work in there some, but I think Seantrel is a little ahead right now,” Ryan told reporters on Monday.
Look to see who gets more playing time as that won’t necessarily mean they will start Week 1, but it will be indicative of which is ahead of the other headed into the second week of the preseason.
3. Wide Receiver Battle- Sammy Watkins stands alone as one starter, however Percy Harvin and Robert Woods are listed as co-starters opposite Watkins. As Harvin has traditionally played in the slot his career, this should be an interesting battle to see who locks up the Bills No. 2 receiver position. Look to see who gets in more reps with the first team, and what type of formations they line up in. In other words, if you see Harvin lining up in the slot more often than Woods, it could mean Woods is more likely to start on the outside come Week 2 of the preseason.
4. Sleepers- Keep in mind the preseason acts as a stage for those who otherwise wouldn’t have a spotlight focused on them. Be sure to keep an eye out for the type of player you will regret not drafting in the 12th round of your fantasy football draft. The preseason may not be the most meaningful football to you, the fan, but be mindful these guys are fighting for their livelihood.
These story lines could provide telltale signs of who will be starting Week 1 against the Colts.
Or it could mean nothing. Behold the beauty of the preseason.
