Ravens' Terrence Brooks on ex-teammate Tyrod Taylor: 'He's got it all'

Of the three quarterbacks competing to be the Buffalo Bills' starter, Tyrod Taylor is the biggest mystery.

Taylor signed with the Bills in March after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens as Joe Flacco's backup. Despite having never started a game during that time, the Bills are giving Taylor an equal shot at the job.

Ravens safety Terrence Brooks got a firsthand look at Taylor in practice last season and in college, and believes he has what it takes to be the No. 1 guy.

"He's a very versatile quarterback," Brooks told Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News. "The kid can run. He can definitely sling the ball around. He's one of my favorite quarterbacks - I loved playing with Tyrod. He always gave us a good look. Whenever we faced a good running quarterback, he always got us prepared. Most of the time, he was doing it better than they did."

But Brooks cautions that Taylor is more than just a running quarterback.

"You can't just limit him to that," Brooks said. "Even passing, he's got it all.

"He was definitely a guy who could've been a starter. But he was behind Joe Flacco, a really good guy, too. If we ever needed Tyrod, I was pretty sure he could step up to the job and do it."

Taylor is competing against Matt Cassel, whom the Bills traded for earlier this offseason, and EJ Manuel. Cassel has starting experience, but appears to be on the roster bubble after struggling in minicamp.

"No one will really know until they give him a shot," Brooks said of Taylor's ability to be an NFL starter. "That's what he's been working for - for a while - just to get that shot, to show everybody what he can do. What I remember from playing against him in college and the ACC Championship Game is he tore it up. I'm pretty sure he could do the same still."