Cassel barely an upgrade for Bills

By
RICK DRUMMOND via <a href="http://espn.go.com/" title="ESPN" class="espn_sc_byline">ESPN </a>
via
March 4, 2015, 2:20 PM ET
3 min read

— -- Pro Football Focus will be providing analysis for every major signing and trade during the 2015 free-agency period, accounting primarily for the quality of player and his fit with his new team, and focusing less on the financial terms of the deal.

Here is a trade grade for the Buffalo Bills following their reported deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

Bills get: QB Matt Cassel

Buffalo Bills: C

There isn't much to discuss about Minnesota's end of this deal, as the team will receive undisclosed draft picks and Cassel was expendable given the presence of promising second-year QB Teddy Bridgewater on the roster. So we'll limit this analysis to Buffalo.

The Bills' second trade in as many days also focused on reshaping the team's offensive backfield, this time bringing in veteran signal-caller Cassel. With last year's attempt at replacing EJ Manuel ending in Kyle Orton's offseason retirement and the team holding no first-round pick in the upcoming draft (as a result of the 2014 draft-day trade to move up five spots to select Sammy Watkins at No. 4 overall), immediate options were limited to a lackluster free-agent pool or a trade such as this.

Cassel started nine games during his two-year Minnesota stint, helping the Vikings transition from Christian Ponder to Bridgewater but not giving the team much more than just enough to get by. His negative-5.0 PFF passing grade and 71.2 accuracy percentage in 2013 were both at the lower end of the starting QB spectrum. His inconsistent play that season while going back and forth with Ponder led to a brief 2014 run that gave way to the inevitable rookie takeover. A similar path could be in the works for Cassel in Buffalo: competing with a struggling young QB while the Bills search for the real answer.

The problem is that real answers don't look like a realistic possibility for Buffalo, at least any time soon. This isn't a bad deal for the Bills, given that the cost looks to be minimal, but their fans shouldn't expect miracles from Cassel. He may be better than Manuel, but his production is likely going to be similar to what Orton delivered a season ago. This is an essential signing in many ways, but not one that will make a big difference.