Levi

Brown

Ratliff was signed to the practice squad. It’s still very early in the week, but this could be an indication the Bucs don’t consider Josh Freeman (shoulder) a slam-dunk to return against the Jaguars. A seventh-round pick of the Bills in 2010, Brown was waived by Buffalo after a disappointing preseason.

“There’s not a first or a third right now,” Gailey said. “We’re going to go to camp with it being an open deal. To me anybody has a chance to win the job. It’s not just lip service.” Brian Brohm threw a slew of interceptions at Friday’s practice, but he’s the only “veteran” QB currently in camp, giving him something of a head start. The Bills’ passing game is going to stink this year.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was second, Brian Brohm third, and rookie Levi Brown fourth. The competition at quarterback is open, so don’t be surprised if coach Chan Gailey mixes up the order at some point. For now, it’s safe to assume that Edwards is the early favorite to start in Week 1. He currently ranks last among all starting quarterbacks in our projections.

Brown is athletic, well built (6'3/229), and ripped up the Sun Belt en route to conference player of the year honors last season, but lacks ideal arm strength and played in the Trojans’ shotgun-only offense. He also couldn’t beat out Stacy Tutt (converted to fullback in the pros, now out of the league) or Eric Ward (no NFL prospects) early in his career at Richmond before transferring. We do like the fit in Buffalo, though. Brown’s skill set is similar to Tyler Thigpen’s, who Bills coach Chan Gailey turned into an 18-touchdown passer down the stretch of ’08. Keep an eye on this one.

So the Bills have decided to punt the 2010 season? Interesting. Perhaps Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller can run a heavy Wildcat attack because we’re gonna be sick if we have to watch Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick checking down for four quarters every week. Gailey will stage an open competition for the starting job, and the ultra-brittle Edwards has to be considered the heavy favorite. We’re staying away from all Bills this year.

Brown came in late to replace the ineffective Brian Brohm and showed nice velocity on his first two throws. The third looked to be a miscommunication with his wide receiver that led to an easy interception. He remains a fringe developmental product.

Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick have been 1-2, and Brian Brohm has been No. 3. While Brown remains just as likely to be Buffalo’s long-term QB answer as the rest of the motley crew, he hasn’t appeared to make much progress during OTAs. The situation will be one to monitor from afar in camp.

Coach Chan Gailey made the determination that he wasn’t going to turn back to Trent Edwards after Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Week 3 performance. Gailey will carry the seventh-round pick as a developmental quarterback instead, pushing Brian Brohm into the No. 2 role.

The Bills reportedly had a “pretty high draft grade” on the Troy star. Although he’s on the outside looking in at the quarterback competition this summer, he could see time late in the season once the other three flame out. The Bills still seem likely to upgrade at the position next offseason.

Levi was the seventh-round pick of the Bills this year while Jarrett was undrafted out of West Virginia. Both players would be candidates for the practice squad.