The Buffalo Bills released quarterback Thad Lewis and signed veteran quarterback Jordan Palmer on Tuesday.
Lewis had been competing with Jeff Tuel to be the Bill backup quarterback behind EJ Manuel. He has struggled in the preseason and was losing the backup spot to Tuel. Lewis has a quarterback rating of 41 this preseason, while Tuel has a quarterback rating of 73.9, according to ESPN. Bills coach Doug Marrone isn’t happy with the performance of the backup quarterbacks so far this preseason.
"I think it's what you see. They either have to play better or we have to look to see if there's someone that can better that position, like we would any other position," Marrone said. "If we feel at the end of the day that it's not good enough to win with -- which we haven't seen that yet -- there's only two ways to go.”
He went on to add, "Either you put a lot of work into those guys and getting them better until you get to that position where you feel comfortable with it or you have to upgrade that position some other way."
Lewis was acquired by the Bills in a trade with the Detroit Lions last August. Last year he went 2-3 with 1,092 yards passing, four touchdowns, and three interceptions, according to the Associated Press.
Palmer, the younger brother of Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback Carson Palmer, was drafted by Washington in 2007, but failed to make the roster. He played with the Cincinnati Bengals for three years, with the Jacksonville Jaguars for one year, and then signed with the Chicago Bears. He was cut by the Bears after losing the backup spot to Jimmy Clausen. Palmer has completed 10 of 15 passes for 59 yards and has two interceptions in four games in five years in the NFL.
The Bills have their final preseason game on Thursday against the Lions. They open the season on Sept. 7 against the Bears.