Quarterback has rightfully been the hottest topic around the Buffalo Bills at the NFL combine in Indianapolis this week, given the importance of the position and uncertainty surrounding the future of the team at the spot.
Coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane cooled speculation the Bills could move on from starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor, with McDermott going as far in a news conference Wednesday to say cutting Taylor is not in the team's plans.
"I really don't feel like that's the direction we're going," McDermott, chuckling, told the team's radio program Wednesday. "I mean, this is a good football player that was instrumental in helping us reach the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Tyrod, when you look at the intangibles, does a phenomenal job. One of the first in the building, one of the last to leave. He's a leader on our football team. I saw him grow during the year, as we all grew together. That was fun to watch.
"I like where we are at the position, and we'll just see how things move forward."
Yet McDermott seemed to strike a slightly different tune in speaking to SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday, saying the team still had to decide whether to keep Taylor. Beane also qualified his comments in a news conference Wednesday by saying the team is "happy" with Taylor "until we decide different."
Seven weeks removed from the Buffalo's playoff loss to Jacksonville and less than two weeks before the start of free agency, the future remains cloudy for the 28-year-old signal-caller.
There are a few ways to interpret the public comments from Beane and McDermott, all of which are tied into the possible paths the team might take with its starting quarterback: trade or release Taylor before his $6 million roster bonus is due March 16; trade or release him after the bonus is paid; or keep him as the starter in 2018.
If McDermott's and Beane's comments about Taylor are to be taken completely at face value, it appears Taylor is the most likely option to start for the Bills this season barring a trade offer Buffalo could not refuse. That would not rule out the Bills drafting a quarterback -- or even trading up to select one -- because Taylor, with only a year remaining on his deal, could still bridge the gap to the younger quarterback.
Conversely, McDermott's insistence the Bills do not plan to release Taylor could be seen as a negotiation tactic for a possible trade. Any team believing it could later acquire Taylor as a free agent would be less likely to give up something in the trade, so the Bills would be wise to make Taylor appear to be in their plans, even if he is eventually released.
The truth could also be somewhere in the middle. The Bills might not be sold yet on Taylor remaining as the starter, but they might also not have plans to trade or release him until they find a more suitable replacement. If that is the case, it is wise for McDermott and Beane to back Taylor publicly to avoid an awkward situation if they whiff on Plan A and he remains the starter.
It can be argued the situation is already awkward, with the Bills having dragged out discussion over Taylor's future since early last year. Back then, McDermott delicately addressed Taylor's status before he eventually agreed to a pay cut.
Having already been benched and then brought back to save the Bills' season last November, it is hard to imagine Taylor would not prefer some sort of firmer commitment, whether it's from the Bills or another team.
That clarity does not appear to be coming from the Bills, who are exercising their right to keep their options open.
"Were we completely satisfied with our quarterback play last year? No," Beane told WHLD-AM 1270 The Fan on Wednesday. "But at the same time, you have to know that you have made an upgrade. You don't just change to change at any position. Right now Nathan [Peterman] and Tyrod are on our roster. That's where we're at. We are doing our due diligence in both free agency and the draft.
"We could very well see both [quarterbacks] go to training camp with us and compete to start next year."
Unless, of course, they don't.