Buffalo Bills release QB Nathan Peterman

After one-and-a-half years with the Buffalo Bills, the organization released quarterback Nathan Peterman on Monday night.

A fifth-round draft pick in 2017, Peterman appeared in eight games with the Bills, throwing for 548 yards, three touchdowns, and twelve interceptions. The quarterback was named the Bills' Week One starter for the 2018 season but was benched after throwing two interceptions in his 2018 debut. 

After a series of injuries, Peterman also started for the Bills against the Chicago Bears in early November and threw an additional three interceptions. That was also just three weeks removed from throwing an interception for a touchdown to give the Houston Texans the win in the Bills Week Six loss.

Hours before the Bills released the 24-year-old, Coach Sean McDermott told reporters he was still confident in Peterman. The latest move comes one day after newly-added quarterback Matt Barkley found success with the team, leading the offense to 41 points against the New York Jets.

The move leaves the Bills with three quarterbacks on the roster in Josh Allen, Barkley, and Derek Anderson.

Joe B's Take

The obvious move for the Buffalo Bills has now become a reality. Following Nathan Peterman's performance against the Chicago Bears, all it did was confirm that the Bills needed to move on from the second-year quarterback -- at least with his place on the active roster.

Peterman has always impressed the coaching staff with both his work ethic and his performance in practice, but when the lights came on in high-pressure situations, all too often the quarterback crumbled and wound up being a significant contributing factor to a sputtering offense. Peterman flashed some positive play in spurts, but numerous examples of turnovers overshadowed those brief moments.

Now with a backup quarterback in Matt Barkley who showed that he could move the ball, and rookie quarterback Josh Allen reportedly going to be ready to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 25, the Bills' need to have Peterman on the roster out of survival is no longer there.

Of course, Peterman is the ultimate reason that the Bills released him on Monday night. But, the coaching staff and front office certainly should get a piece of the blame, too. They repeatedly put the young quarterback in the situations that ended up in worst-case scenarios, without leaving themselves any other option but to play him.

So now, the Bills move on without Peterman on their active roster, and with the trio of Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, and Derek Anderson. Many would say it's long overdue, but Peterman is now firmly out of the limelight.

To a certain degree, you have to think the Bills coaches feel for Peterman because he has attracted a lot of negative attention, and has remained a loyal and consistent worker throughout -- all while trying to tune out the unavoidable noise. I don't think that it's a coincidence that the Bills announced this move not only as far away from the team's next game as possible, but just moments ahead of the start of the Monday Night Football contest -- to minimize the cycle with Peterman. After all, he's been through quite a lot.

However, I'm not convinced that this is the end for Peterman and the Bills. When the team made a move to call up Robert Foster from the practice squad on Saturday, it also opened up a spot on that ten-man unit.

Still, with practice squad eligibility remaining, I would not at all be surprised if the Bills were to bring back Peterman on the practice squad -- away from the limelight, and continuing to work hard as they see if there is any glimmer of hope for being a potential backup down the line. Though, you also have to wonder if the Bills will move on entirely considering the negative attention he has attracted since the start of the season.

No matter what the next step is for the Bills and Peterman, this was a move they needed to make for the betterment of all parties. It opens up a roster spot for the Bills to use at a different position, it takes Peterman out of the limelight as a lightning rod for criticism, and it allows Peterman to start over again either with the Bills or if he ever gets a chance with another team.

And, among all the talking points, this might be the evidence that suggests Josh Allen will be ready to play on November 25.

So, the Peterman hold on the active roster is over, and the Bills can now move on with Allen being the only young quarterback that people will be focusing on when it comes to their team -- which is how it should have been all along.

Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia

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