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The Buffalo Bills looked great after their 2-0 start to this season, and EJ Manuel looked like a QB the franchise could rely on.
Boy how things change quickly.
After two straight losses and two porous performances by Manuel, head coach Doug Marrone is pulling the plug on the former first-round pick out of Florida State.
Kyle Orton to take over as starting QB for #Bills, source confirmed.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) September 29, 2014
BREAKING: #Bills head coach Doug Marrone announces that Kyle Orton will replace EJ Manuel at QB.
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) September 29, 2014
Kyle Orton was signed this offseason after his brief retirement led the Dallas Cowboys to terminate his contract. That allowed him to sign with a team of his choice, and he saw Buffalo as a place where he could possibly become a starting QB again.
Orton, 31, made one start for the Cowboys last season in an NFC East win-or-go-home tilt with the Philadelphia Eagles. He completed 30 of 46 passes for 358 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
As for the benched Manuel, he's coming off a 23-17 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, in which he completed 21 of 44 passes for 225 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He threw for only 5.1 yards per attempt and tossed an interception on the potential game-winning drive.
This doesn't necessary mean the Bills have completely given up on Manuel ever being their full-time starting QB. After all, he's just in his second NFL season at age 24.