Will Buffalo re-sign Tyrod Taylor? It's still an unknown, according to Sean McDermott
INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Williams will be a Buffalo Bill again in 2017. Tyrod Taylor ... well ... check back later.
New Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine that the franchise will be “methodical” in deciding what to do with Taylor, who has a $27.5 million roster bonus due on March 11. He added that the process could go down to the wire, if the Bills feel like they need all that time to make a call on their QB.
“The process is you look at is you look at it from all different angles,” McDermott said, “so you compare Tyrod based on the quarterback position, the intangibles we look for, the critical factors at the position, then, yes, you look at it from other areas, that being candidates that are out there in the free-agent market.”
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The conundrum there for the Bills, of course, is that the QB free-agent market looks quite bare at the moment, barring a surprise release or two. Washington just placed the franchise tag on Kirk Cousins, so the non-Taylor options would include Mike Glennon, Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley and Ryan Fitzpatrick. There is no one that would count as an upgrade on Taylor.
McDermott did confirm that Cardale Jones, a 2016 draft pick, remains in the team’s plans moving forward, but he would need to show substantial development this off-season if he is to be pegged as a ’17 starter.
The Bills have a decision to make, and a closing window. They apparently do not have to worry about Williams’s future anymore, though. The lifetime Bill currently carries a cap hit of $8.3 million for next season with no dead money, so his roster spot understandably was believed to be in jeopardy.
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That’s no longer the case.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kyle, what he’s done for the Bills organization, he’s one of our leaders,” McDermott said. “I can announce now that Kyle is coming back, and I’m looking forward to working with Kyle.”
McDermott did not reveal if any details of Williams’s contract had been changed, but it would not be a surprise if the 34-year-old defensive tackle either took a pay cut or restructured his deal to provide the Bills a little cap relief next season.
