Getty Matt Barkley #14 of the Tennessee Titans warms up on the sidelines during an NFL preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Nissan Stadium on August 28, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee.
While the Buffalo Bills are set at the quarterback position, Josh Allen is the franchise starter for the foreseeable future, the backup role has been a revolving rotation.
For the 2021 NFL season, the Bills signed former Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to take over the supporting role from veteran Matt Barkley, who served as Buffalo’s backup quarterback since 2018.
ALL the latest Bills news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bills newsletter here!
While Barkley 30, had a breakout game in November 2018 against the Jets, completing 232-yard passing yards and leading the Bills to a 41-10 victory over New York, Buffalo did not renew his contract when it expired in 2020. The Bills went on to pick up quarterback Jake Fromm in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Barkley moved on to sign with Tennessee Titans in early August, where the USC alum was competing for the role as the backup quarterback for starter Ryan Tannehill. During the preseason, he went 24-of-39 passing for 295 yards with three touchdowns and an interception — which wasn’t enough to lock in the backup role on the Titans’ initial 53-man roster.
On September 1, the Titans announced that Logan Woodside, who served as the backup quarterback last season, would reprise his role in 2021. Barkley was subsequently signed to Tennessee’s practice squad.
Titans general manager Jon Robinson said it was a difficult decision to make, as reported by The Tennessean. Robinson said of the backup quarterbacks:
It was a really close battle. When we made the move early in camp with DeSone Kizer and then brought Matt in, I thought it made the position extremely competitive. I thought both of them battled every single day here in camp. In the preseason games, I thought Logan played well in the first (game), thought Matt played really well in the second one and I thought Logan kind of took the reins there in the third one. They’re both extremely diligent, They’re both going to help us this season.
Trubisky Is Only Expected to Stay in Buffalo for 1 Year
Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane tells us Mitchell Trubisky was a sought after free agent but, decided to sign in Buffalo for a “reboot” with Brian Daboll and Josh Allen.
Audio 👇 #BillsMafia
As it stands, Trubisky’s stint with the Bills is not a long-term situation. The 27-year-old quarterback signed a one-year contract with Buffalo, and he’s not expected to return next season.
Back in March, Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane mentioned in an interview with SiriusXM NFL radio that they were looking to help develop Trubisky so he could return to a starting role with another team in 2022. While facing his former team during the Bills’ second preseason game, Trubisky proved he’s a formidable backup.
The former No. 2 overall pick completed 20 of 28 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. “I knew people would be talking about it and hyping it up, but it was just important for me to come out here and do my job and show my teammates that I could play well,” Trubisky said of the “revenge” game versus the Bears, per CBS Sports.
In case anything happens to Allen and Trubisky, the Bills have added both Fromm, and quarterback David Webb to their practice team.
The NFL Ranked Allen as the No. 10 Overall Player for the 2021 Season
THAT’S OUR QUARTERBACK!
Following Allen’s stellar performance on Saturday, the NFL released the rest of the preseason rankings, and the Bills quarterback nabbed the No.10 spot.
While there will be many who believe Allen should be ranked higher, it’s a huge jump from last year’s rankings, where he was ranked No. 87 in the NFL’s Top 100.
READ NEXT: Bills ‘Speedy’ Wide Receiver to Start NFL Season on IR