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Tyrod Taylor struggled to hold down a starting quarterback job after the Buffalo Bills traded him in 2018, but the journeyman may have now achieved the next best thing.
Retired NFL coach Marty Mornhinweg shared some big praise for Taylor, who is currently the No. 2 quarterback behind Daniel Jones with the New York Giants. Writing for The 33rd Team, the Super Bowl-winning coach named Taylor as the best backup quarterback in the league, singling out his deep experience as a starter and the history of mistake-free play.
Big Praise for Former Bills QB
Mornhinweg ranked the league’s top 10 backup quarterbacks, putting Taylor first ahead of longtime starter Andy Dalton for the No. 1 overall spot. The former head coach of the Detroit Lions noted that Taylor has found success over the course of his career, including leading the Bills to a 9-7 record in 2017 and snapping the team’s long playoff drought.
“This might be a bit of a surprise,” he wrote of Taylor’s top ranking. “Tyrod Taylor is a savvy 33-year-old veteran with an 88.2 career passer rating. He has 53 starts, and he led the Buffalo Bills to their first playoff appearance in 18 years in 2017.”
Mornhinweg noted that the 33-year-old Taylor still has plenty of athleticism left and a history as a quarterback who avoids costly mistakes.
“Taylor still shows the ability to move and groove,” he wrote. “He’s got a lot of experience and has thrown more than twice as many touchdowns (60) as interceptions (26). Taylor gives the New York Giants the NFL’s top backup quarterback.”
Taylor was one of the most successful quarterbacks of the “Drought Era” in Buffalo, the stretch between 2000 and 2016 where the team fell short of the playoffs every year. Taylor threw for 8,857 yards with 51 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 44 games in Buffalo, adding another 1,575 rushing yards during that stretch.
The Bills traded Taylor following the 2017 season, paving the way for the rookie Josh Allen to take over as the starter early in the 2018 season. Taylor started four games for the Cleveland Browns that season before losing his job to another rookie, Baker Mayfield. Taylor bounced around for the next four seasons, starting seven more games before settling in as the backup to Jones with the Giants last year.
Tyrod Taylor Locked into Backup Role
Though there was a brief quarterback controversy last summer when Taylor earned starting reps ahead of Jones during Giants’ training camp, he appears to be cemented into a backup role when the Giants gave Jones a new four-year, $160-million contract extension in March.
Taylor has some familiar faces in New York, including Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who served as assistant general manager during Taylor’s final season in Buffalo. After Taylor signed with the Giants in 2022, the veteran quarterback said he developed a good relationship with Schoen during their year together.
“We definitely talked with each other the year we spent together in Buffalo,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t say it was a strong relationship or bond, but we’re definitely familiar with one another, just the way that we go about our business each and every day. The opportunity presented itself for me to come here, I’m thankful for it, thankful for them, their trust in me to bring me here. I’m looking forward to getting to work.”