Ryan Fitzpatrick is entrenched as the starting quarterback on the Buffalo Bills' depth chart, with Tyler Thigpen and Vince Young competing for the No. 2 job. Both Thigpen and Young struggled in the preseason opener, but Young appears to have nudged ahead in the race during Friday night's 36-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Young entered the game with three minutes to play in the first half, completed 8 of 14 passes for 123 yards and led the team on one of its two touchdown drives.
Thigpen was 8-of-15 passing for 56 yards and threw one of two pick-sixes by Vikings rookie linebacker Audie Cole.
"Vince did a god job. He hit the big pass, made a check out there and got us in a good spot to get the touchdown," Bills coach Chan Gailey said, via Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. "You'd have to say Vince came out a little bit ahead tonight."
Finances also could play a role in the decision.
Thigpen is due $2.5 million in base salary, while Young will earn half that rate ($1.25 million), according to a source with knowledge of Young's contract, plus $300,000 if he's on the 53-man roster in Week 1 and an additional $100,000 in per-game active roster bonuses ($6,250 per game) for a total of $2 million.
In addition to the quarterback competition gaining some clarity, Graham added that Donald Jonesmight have secured the No. 2 receiver role opposite Steve Johnson with his 31-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter.
Follow Brian McIntyre on Twitter _@brianmcintyre_.
