Rex sticks this week, names Taylor Bills starting QB

Amidst all the rumors and speculation that their could be big changes for the Buffalo Bills as early as this week, everything is staying the same.... for now at least.

Rex Ryan is still the head coach of the Buffalo Bills, and Tyrod Taylor -- as Ryan announced Monday -- is still the Bills starting quarterback. The Bills will take on the winless Cleveland Browns this weekend, and the head coach is doing anything in his power to get his team back on the winning track.

"Tyrod Taylor," Ryan said succinctly when asked who his starting quarterback would be this week. "I think Tyrod, the reason he’s our starting quarterback in my opinion, is he gives us the best opportunity to win, and that’s what we signed up for. We’re trying to win these games."

There has been some clamoring from both fans and media for the Bills to make a switch at the quarterback position, whether it be for backup EJ Manuel, or for the more popular rookie Cardale Jones. However, Rex Ryan said he never even gave it a thought to start Manuel against the Browns.

Taylor was also backed by the team's top wide receiver, Sammy Watkins.

"Right now, I’m rolling with Ty. That’s our guy. At the end of the day, it can be speculations and people talking crazy… that position is one of the hardest positions. I can sit there and say well it’s this coverage it’s that coverage, really, he’s got bullets flying. So we can’t sit there and point a finger at anybody. He’s our guy."

Taylor has made a total of 27 starts for the Bills over the past two seasons.

Joe B's Take:

For Bills head coach Rex Ryan, naming Tyrod Taylor makes sense for him in the here and now. If the Bills were to actually lose to the 0-13 Cleveland Browns, there may not be a way that Ryan could survive into 2017 with a loss.

So for him, in trying to secure his status for next season... he's right. Taylor does give them the best chance to win against Cleveland this coming week. However, it's a short-sighted line of thinking.

If the Bills are ready to move on from the quarterback at the end of the season, as CBS Sports reported within an hour to kickoff on Sunday, then that puts the Bills in a precarious spot. Now that they're all but out of playoff contention, and with Taylor's time with the Bills looking like it could be coming to a close, it creates potential risk.

Taylor has a team option on his contract extension that the Bills can walk away from, with all things considered, at a minimal cost. If the quarterback gets significantly injured while on the field, the Bills would be forced to kick in the money on the extension due to an injury guarantee -- whether he's on the roster or not.

So, from a financial perspective, it creates a massive risk for the Bills to continue to play Taylor through it all.

Really, it all boils down to the decision makers at One Bills Drive, who seemingly each have their own agendas at this point, to sit down in a room and decide what is best for the franchise both in the short-term and the long-term, and make an assessment from there.

If both Rex and Tyrod aren't in the plans for 2017 and it's already been decided, then Rex Ryan shouldn't get to pick who is his starting quarterback for the rest of the season. The powers that be need to get on the same page to prevent a potentially huge financial error if they've already made up their minds.

Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia