Bills QB battle gets even murkier, as EJ Manuel will get preseason start

The Buffalo Bills suddenly have a new contender to start at quarterback this season: the forgotten former first-round pick, EJ Manuel.

Manuel hadn't been seriously discussed as an option to start during the offseason and training camp, but Bills coach Rex Ryan announced on Thursday that Manuel would start Buffalo's preseason game on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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The third preseason game is often treated as the dress rehearsal for the starters, which tells us a few things about Ryan's decision. First, he is entirely undecided at quarterback. If he was leaning toward Tyrod Taylor or Matt Cassel at this point, that's who would start the third preseason game. Also, it means that Manuel has a legitimate shot to steal the job for Week 1.

The Bills aren't doing this out of charity. Cassel and Taylor will play with the first-team offense as well on Saturday, Ryan said, so they aren't being held out or anything. It's just that Manuel has edged his way into the discussion. The Bills wouldn't waste their time if he wasn't an option.

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Cassel was acquired in a trade this offseason, but the veteran with the low ceiling hasn't done much to win the job. Taylor became the buzzy name in camp, and has done some good things this preseason. But he has little NFL game experience, with 35 passes in four seasons. Manuel was mostly an afterthought because even though he was a 2013 first-round pick, he has struggled with accuracy. He was benched last season after four games. But Manuel looked good in the second preseason game, driving the team to a game-winning score against the Cleveland Browns. He completed nine of 14 passes for 111 yards. Manuel might have to play very well this week to get tabbed to start Week 1, but at least he has the chance.

It's rare that an NFL team doesn't know its starting quarterback by this point in the preseason. It's almost unheard of for a team to have three candidates still alive for the job going into the third preseason game. But right now, the Bills' job seems to be wide open.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab