PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- In advance of their preseason opener Friday against the Carolina Panthers, the Buffalo Bills released their first unofficial depth chart of the season Monday.
Who's listed as their starting quarterback? "Matt Cassel/Tyrod Taylor/EJ Manuel."
Maybe the Bills plan on running a three-quarterback formation?
In all seriousness, it's an expected move from a team that still has an open quarterback competition and knows whatever it listed would make headlines -- which, of course, it still did.
The three quarterbacks were ordered by experience, so don't read into Cassel's name listed first, even though he will start Friday's game.
Other takeaways and notes from the depth chart, which, again, is unofficial and might not fully reflect what the coaching staff sees internally:
Robert Woods and Percy Harvin are listed as the co-starters at wide receiver opposite from Sammy Watkins. Woods opened camp seeing time as the second receiver in two-receiver sets with the first team, but Harvin and Watkins got the first-team nod in Saturday's scrimmage and again in practice Monday.
The Bills' tight end order behind Charles Clay is MarQueis Gray, then Matthew Mulligan, then Nick O'Leary, then Chris Gragg. That's roughly what the team has used lately in training camp practices. Clay and Gray were often the two-tight end duo in practice Monday, and Mulligan has also seen time with the first-team group in running situations. Gragg has ground to make up to make the 53-man roster.
Seantrel Henderson is listed as the starter at right tackle, which reflects what we saw Monday in practice.
Karlos Williams is listed behind Fred Jackson, Boobie Dixon and Bryce Brown on the running back depth chart. Williams seemed to leapfrog Brown in Monday's practice but that's an ongoing competition. With Jackson and Dixon injured, it's tough to tell an exact order.
Andrew Hudson is listed at outside linebacker and Michael Buchanan is listed at defensive end, but that was more of the situation in spring practices. In training camp, Buchanan has been practicing at outside linebacker and Hudson has been a defensive end. Buchanan has been running with the third team behind Randell Johnson.
Alex Carrington is listed as a third-team defensive tackle but has been playing almost exclusively second-team defensive end in training camp.
