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Back in 2013, the Buffalo Bills made Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel the No. 16 pick in the NFL Draft. In what was generally considered a weak quarterback class at the time, Manuel ended up being the only passer selected in the first round. 

Like many quarterbacks of recent vintage, Manuel was given the nod to start Week 1 of his rookie season. He acquitted himself fairly well in a loss to the Patriots, then made four more starts before getting injured, sitting out four games, starting the next five, and then sitting out the final two with another injury. In all, he completed 58.8 percent of his passes at 6.4 yards per attempt, with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His 77.7 passer rating ranked a solid 12th among the 44 rookie signal-callers that attempted at least 300 passes during their initial season in the league, per Pro-Football-Reference. 

Manuel was named the starter heading into the next season by then-Bills coach Doug Marrone. Buffalo won the first two games of the 2014 season with Manuel playing pretty well, but ugly losses the next two weeks combined with a pick-six from Manuel in the second of those losses led Marrone to bench him in favor of Kyle Orton. He spent the ensuing two-and-a-half years as a backup, making just three starts. 

Manuel recently signed with the Oakland Raiders, and in an interview this week, he looked back on Marrone’s decision to send him to the bench. 

“It was very surprising. You know, obviously being 2-2 and after losing to Houston, coach Marrone made the change and it was something I never dealt with as a competitor, as an athlete. So, it was definitely one of those things that I had to humble myself and understand that this could happen to anybody, you know what I mean?

“Of course, it wasn’t something I was excited about or happy about, but it was what it was. This is a business and if a coach makes that kind of decision then that’s what you have to deal with. You kind of just really have to dust yourself off and just keep fighting, like I said. I think it’s really put a sense of perseverance in me.

“It was obviously a turbulent time in my life, and in my career and it was only my second year. So, (I was) just like -- wow. (laughter) Sometimes young guys continue to get a chance to grow and fight through those growing pains and I just wasn’t afforded that opportunity. I just kind of had to roll with it, and just keep rolling.”

It’s pretty rare to see a first-round quarterback benched as definitively as Manuel was, so it’s understandable that he had a fairly difficult time dealing with it, especially given that he was still only 24 years old at the time. A few years removed from the decision, Manuel appears to have gained some perspective on it, and that’s pretty healthy. He’s certainly kept rolling, to use his phrasing, and he’s still in the league as a backup. Maybe he’ll get another opportunity at some point.