On Saturday, the Buffalo Bills agreed to a two-year deal with free-agent quarterback Kevin Kolb. On the surface, the deal doesn't make a whole lot of sense, given that the Bills had recently released another middling quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, just weeks earlier.
However, with several teams looking to add veteran QBs rather than take their chances in the draft, the move for Kolb is just further evidence that front offices are somewhat wary of the incoming quarterback class.
Regardless, Kolb would appear to be nothing more than a short-term solution for Buffalo, who will almost certainly take a quarterback in the first or second round of the NFL Draft later this month.
The Bills have the eighth pick, and it remains to be seen if the team will snag a quarterback that early. In fact, it's entirely possible that quarterbacks be shut out of the first round altogether.
Buffalo is reportedly working out Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley on Monday, and the team has alreay evaluated top quarterback prospects Geno Smith, EJ Manuel, Tyler Bray, and Landry Jones. Of course, Ryan Nassib is an intriguing option, given his past with new Bills head coach Doug Marrone at Syracuse.
The issue now becomes -- for Buffalo and others -- when to spend a pick on a quarterback. Obviously, waiting until the second round to draft a quarterback would be ideal for the Bills, but they would then have to run the risk on missing out on their top targets.
No matter the choice they make, it's likely that Kolb has been brought in to compete with a rookie for the starting job next season. And, even if Kolb is successful in winning that job, he'll likely be nothing more than a stopgap.
