EJ Manuel knows his future in Western New York is up in the air.
The embattled Bills quarterback acknowledged for the first time on Monday that he might not be in Buffalo for long if his play doesn't improve.
"At the end of the day, if I play well, it should take care of itself," Manuel told John Wawrow of The Associated Press. "Whether it's here or whether it's somewhere else, I don't know."
Manuel looks like the odd man out in Buffalo's three-headed quarterback duel, with the former first-rounder relegated to snaps with the third-team offense. With Tyrod Taylor slated to start Thursday's preseason tilt against the Browns, Manuel will bring up the rear for the second straight week, taking third-string reps after veteran Matt Cassel works with the twos.
"Nothing I can do it about it," Manuel said. "Of course I want to go with the ones, I want to go with the twos and things like that. But if that's not what coach has for me, I'll just roll with it."
Manuel has been wholly underwhelming over his first two seasons, battling knee injuries and showing little uptick in his play. He still has the support of Bills general manager Doug Whaley, but the current coaching staff didn't pick the passer, they inherited him.
Asked if he's thought much about starting over elsewhere, Manuel said, "I haven't," adding "I don't know how that works. But I also understand the business of it. I don't know. All I can do right now is continue to play well."
It's another reminder of how quickly first-round quarterbacks lose their luster in this league if they don't flower into something pretty out of the gate.
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