Head coach Doug Marrone had stated more than once that he was dissatisfied with the play of his backup quarterbacks this preseason. On Tuesday the team took action releasing Thad Lewis and signing free agent Jordan Palmer.
Lewis spent exactly one calendar year with the Bills after he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Lions on Aug. 25 last year. He appeared in six games for the Bills in 2013 making five starts. Lewis completed just over 59 percent of his passes last season with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
His play however, fell on hard times in minicamp and training camp this summer as he struggled with his accuracy and decision making. Lewis' statistics in his preseason appearances reflected that as he completed just over 51 percent of his passes with two interceptions.
"If we feel at the end of the day that it's not good enough to win with, which we haven't seen yet, there's only two ways to go," said Marrone Monday in reference to his backup quarterbacks. "Either you put a lot of work into those guys in getting them better until you get to where you feel comfortable with it, or you have to upgrade that position some other way."
The Bills chose to sign Jordan Palmer in an effort to upgrade the position. Palmer was most recently with the Chicago Bears in training camp, but was released this past Sunday.
In the preseason Palmer was 21-30 passing (70%) for 225 yards with a touchdown and an interception and a passer rating of 88.9. He joins EJ Manuel and Jeff Tuel at the quarterback position on the roster.
Palmer has limited playing experience since entering the league in 2007 as a sixth-round draft choice out of UTEP. He's appeared in four career games all with Cincinnati between the 2008 and 2010 seasons while serving as a backup to his brother Carson Palmer.
His career stat line is 10-15 passing for 59 yards and two interceptions.
Earlier this offseason Palmer received high praise for his tutoring of draft prospect and eventual Jacksonville first-round pick Blake Bortles.
PHOTO: QB Jordan Palmer tosses a pass in his first practice with the #Bills. pic.twitter.com/Zb3iUyTL2A — Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) August 26, 2014
