After Josh Freeman agreed to join the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, the Buffalo Bills went into Monday still in search of a quarterback to fill in for the injured EJ Manuel. They now have their guy.
The team announced Monday that Thad Lewis will be activated off the practice squad to startSunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"Thad gives us the best chance," coach Doug Marrone said. "We're going to give him an opportunity to see what he has."
The move comes four days after Manuel went down with a knee injury in Thursday's loss to the Cleveland Browns. Undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel came off the bench and struggled mightily. It was clear Tuel wasn't an option to start in Week 6.
The team feels comfortable enough with Lewis, 25, who spent the past two seasons in Cleveland and was serviceable last December in one start for the Browns, a loss to the Steelers. The Detroit Lions grabbed him next before trading him to the Bills in April.
Lewis knows the system. The Bills want to see if his work in practice and meetings will pay off before they add another passer to the mix. Had Buffalo landed Freeman, it would have given the team a more viable option, but it also would have created a potential controversy under center. Starting Lewis -- at least for a week -- makes sense.
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