Bills coach won't promise Tyrod Taylor the starting job after drafting Peterman

According to Sean McDermott, Taylor, Peterman and Cardale Jones will compete for the starting job

It's been presumed that the Bills drafted Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman to develop on the bench as Tyrod Taylor handles the starting duties. But on Saturday, new Bills coach Sean McDermott shot down the idea that Taylor is guaranteed to start.

Not long after the Bills took Peterman in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft on Saturday, McDermott said that the rookie will have a chance to do more than just learn from presumed starter. According to McDermott, Peterman will compete with Taylor and second-year backup Cardale Jones for the Bills' starting job.

"Competition is there," McDermott said Saturday, per ESPN.com. "You earn the right to start on this football team."

He added: "Nothing is promised to anyone. We're going to compete every day. [Even] I've got to earn my spot. You guys have heard me say that before."

Let's cut through the coachspeak: It's important to make clear that Peterman and Jones (and T.J. Yates, I guess) aren't winning the starting job despite McDermott's comments above, namely because Taylor is a much better quarterback than both of them -- combined. In his past two seasons in Buffalo, Taylor's only managed to complete 62.6 percent of his passes, and throw 37 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Plus, with his running ability (1,148 yards and 10 touchdowns since 2015), he's the perfect quarterback to pair with LeSean McCoy. 

Taylor definitely isn't perfect, but he's a great value quarterback for his contract.

Peterman, on the other hand, wasn't drafted until the fifth round for a reason. He has certain traits that caught the NFL's eye (accuracy, experience in a pro-style system, and anticipation), but he still needs work (his arm strength is lacking and he's inconsistent with his decision-making). Meanwhile, Jones has yet to prove anything yet. He threw just 11 passes last year and one was intercepted.

So, Taylor is almost guaranteed to be the starter barring an injury. Don't let McDermott's comments fool you into believing anything else. McDermott can use the "earn the right to start" line because he knows Taylor will earn it over two lesser quarterbacks.

After 2017, though? That's an entirely different story. A year from now, the Bills could cut Taylor and be on the hook for $8,640,000 million in dead cap if they don't want to take on his $18,080,000 cap hit, according to Spotrac.