How bad is Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman? So bad that he’s been benched for Matt Barkley, a quarterback who has bounced around the league for years and only signed with the Bills last week.
The Bills made the surprising announcement today that Barkley will be their starting quarterback Sunday against the Jets. First-round rookie Josh Allen and veteran Derek Anderson are both out with injuries, and the newly arrived Barkley will start ahead of Peterman.
That says a lot about Peterman, who opened the season as the starter but has been brutally bad this year. At this point, it’s surprising that Peterman even has a roster spot. Perhaps he won’t once Allen and Anderson are healthy.
Barkley hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2016, when he started six games for the Bears. He showed flashes of talent at times that season, but he struggled for the most part, finishing the year with eight touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.
Both teams are relying on backup quarterbacks on Sunday. The Jets will start Josh McCown at quarterback ahead of Sam Darnold.