One of the most unusual and perplexing situations is happening in Buffalo. The Bills have missed the playoffs for the 17th-straight season. As a result head coach Rex Ryan was fired. Among the bigger reasons he fell out of favor was his unwillingness to bench Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback.
The former sixth round pick was a revelation for Buffalo in 2015, reaching the Pro Bowl in his first year ever as a starter. Before that he spent four seasons backing up Joe Flacco in Baltimore. He’s considered a sharp mind, tough, highly athletic and an accurate passer. Yet the Bills still wanted him removed in favor former first round pick E.J. Manuel or rookie Cardale Jones.
This has created a somewhat antagonistic atmosphere. Taylor doesn’t understand why the team is making that decision and isn’t happy about it. All signs point to Buffalo releasing him to free agency this March. Arthur Arkush, a veteran columnist and insider for Pro Football Weekly, believes the Bears are in perfect position to land him.
If Tyrod Taylor out in Buffalo, I'd expect #Bears to show interest. 27. Room to grow. Type of player Pace has targeted in FA. #Bears
— Arthur Arkush (@ArthurArkush) January 6, 2017
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He’s not wrong. Pace has a history of targeting younger free agents who still have upside. Taylor fits that bill given his age and the lack of wear and tear on his body most QBs would have at that point in time. There is also considering his accomplishments. Don’t forget that Taylor is a Pro Bowl quarterback. He went in 2015. His stat line is fairly impressive, and something that might intrigue the Bears coaching staff for a specific reason.
He doesn’t turn the ball over a lot.
- 6, 058 yards passing
- 62.6 completion percentage
- 1, 148 yards rushing
- 47 TDs
- 12 INTs
- 7 lost fumbles
- 94.2 quarterback rating
- 14-14 record
Maybe not Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady numbers but not too bad. Taylor is not some second-rate quarterback. He’s made his share of big plays and his dual-threat capability is something that scares defenses to death. Not only is he a dangerous scrambler with speed, but his has a lot more arm strength than he gets credit for.
streethistory: Blocked punt. Ball inside the 5. Tyrod Taylor TD run #MNF ESPN Monday Night … https://t.co/PufjZd8tiY pic.twitter.com/URd1XyO4bg
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) November 8, 2016
Adam Schefter of ESPN added to the intrigue of his situation during one of his weekly notebooks, discussing Taylor’s likely future.
“Buffalo is instead planning to move on from Taylor, despite the fact that their scoring has increased dramatically since he arrived. The year before he got to Buffalo, the Bills were 26th, and they’ve been 10th and 11th the two years he has started. He’s clearly a huge part of the difference.
He was also seventh in Total QBR last year, and ninth this year. People in that company get major dollars.”
The Bears are currently projected to have over $58 million in salary cap space in free agency with the ability to create lots more. If Taylor does become available, money won’t be the primary issue. It’s whether they are interested in him and whether they can lure him to Chicago over other teams like San Francisco, Cleveland, and the Jets who are also very much in the hunt for help at the position.
If they are looking to give themselves a chance to win in 2017 while still leaving the option open to draft a potential future starter, they can’t do much better. A Chicago Bears Tyrod Taylor connection could be a mutually beneficial partnership.
