The Buffalo Bills waived veteran quarterback Matt Cassel on Saturday to make EJ Manuel the team's one and only backup to starter Tyrod Taylor, according to ESPN.

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The 33-year-old signal caller played the last two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before he was traded to Buffalo last March in exchange for future draft picks. He went 194-of-325 for 2,232 yards with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his two-year stay at Minnesota.

Cassel, who had reportedly been in competition with Manuel all summer for the starting quarterback spot only to be overrun by Taylor at the last minute, was supposed to receive $4.15 million this coming season. He played in only four possessions during the recent preseason and made 13 of 15 throws for 83 yards.

The former Southern California standout sounded dejected after team's preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, saying that he was not given enough opportunities to show his wares and so he does not expect to be Rex Ryan's starter in the coming season.

What he did not anticipate was he will not be a part of Ryan's roster after all.

Ryan chose Taylor, who was signed by the Bills after he was released by the Baltimore Ravens also last March, to be the starting quarterback over the 25-year-old Manuel, who was the Bills' 16th overall pick in 2013.

Bleacher Report indicated that Cassel was the odds-on favorite to take the starting job mainly because of his superior experience as compared to the other two candidates. Taylor was said to be "unproven" with limited playing time for the Ravens during the last four seasons while Manuel had reportedly failed to maximize his chances with the Bills since 2013.

But Cassel's struggles during the OTA's and his lackluster performance in training camp allegedly prompted Ryan to use him sparingly in the preseason, ultimately leading to his release.

Yahoo Sports noted that Ryan intended for Cassel to be a "dependable bridge starter" to prepare the way for either of the two youngsters to eventually take the starting spot soonest.

However, Manuel had an outstanding preseason while Taylor was finally chosen as the starter, which left Cassel completely dispensable and out of the picture. 

TagsNFL, NFL 2015, NFL news, NFL News 2015, NFL rumors, NFL Rumors 2015, Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel, Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills