Tyrod Taylor’s days with the Buffalo Bills appear to be numbered. Before the madness of free agency begins, there are three potential teams that can make a move.
The Buffalo Bills opted to keep Tyrod Taylor on the active roster. The move was met with criticism because of the imminent future of the Bills adding a quarterback in the draft. I believe the decision to keep Taylor for the short-term was a solid personnel choice. They will eat a bit of money, but they can trade him for a pick during the draft.
Who they trade him to is anyone’s guess. The number of available quality quarterbacks this offseason is unprecedented.
Free Agency: Kirk Cousins, AJ McCarron, Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater, Josh McCown
NFL Draft: Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson
The dominos will fall and teams will be left looking for a starting/backup quarterback. Tyrod Taylor could be an option for that team with a fourth or fifth-round pick price tag. If he is traded, Taylor would provide a team with a mistake-free brand of football that is coveted.
The three most likely candidates:
Arizona Cardinals– I believe they will select a quarterback early in the draft. If I was new coach Steve Wilks, I would also be looking to maximize Larry Fitzgerald’s last year. They could decide to trade for Taylor as a stop-gap option.
The Cardinals could have made noise last year, but they had to deal with instability at the quarterback position. Taylor could help David Johnson and Fitzgerald in ways Palmer and Stanton could not. His mobility will alleviate some of the pressure put on the Cardinal stars.
Wilks worked with McDermott in Carolina. Old friends could ultimately help each other with this transaction.
Denver Broncos– He can be traded to Denver in the attempt to move up. I think Denver will sign Case Keenum and look to secure a backup plan. If Keenum signs, this trade would only net a sixth-seventh-round pick.
Denver is considered to be a quarterback away. If they want to capitalize on their championship window, they must do everything in their power to solve their quarterback issue. With playmakers already in place, Tyrod could fit in nicely with their zone run scheme and put up decent numbers.
Elway has taken big swings on quarterbacks lately. This could be a small risk that could net a big reward.
Baltimore Ravens– This is a wild card I have not seen yet. The Ravens have been looking to find a suitable back up to Flacco for quite some time, once kicking the tires on Colin Kaepernick.
The amount of punishment Flacco has taken in the pocket is a cause for concern in the organization. Taylor could offer the team some insurance. The familiarity is there since Taylor started his career in Baltimore. If Harbaugh is looking for a reunion, it could be a nice story for both sides.
The Ravens barely missed the playoffs due to a miraculous play by Andy Dalton (Thank you Andy). If there is a dark horse candidate, Baltimore is the option.
Two key dates to remember:
Free agency begins- March 14th
2018 NFL Draft- April 26th
A lot of transactions are going to happen between now and the start of the NFL season. A Taylor trade should happen at some point this offseason.
Next: Where the roster can be improved this offseason
Do you agree? Is there another team that should be considered?