Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

McKelvin, however, would like to see more playing time at CB, but that might not come in Buffalo. He was passed over for fellow slot guy Justin Rogers, and that decision made no sense. Rogers is just putrid in pass coverage and allowed a 93.3 QB Rating against, per the Pro Football Focus. McKelvin, on the other hand, graded out about average in coverage as opposed to Rogers’s horrendous grade that was the lowest on the team. McKelvin allowed just 59.4% of everything thrown at him to be complete, as he had a solid season overall despite getting destroyed in Week 1 against the New York Jets. After that ugly wake-up call, McKelvin settled down.

The 27-year-old’s importance to the team increased with the release of veteran Terrence McGee, and the cost-cutting move opens up the Bills pockets to keep McKelvin, who is also a quality run defender at the CB position. McKelvin is somebody that Nix says the Bills “would like to keep”.

The GM added, “We’d like to keep all our guys. There does come a time when you can’t keep everybody and it just doesn’t fit. If somebody else see their value as a lot more than we do then good luck to them and good luck to the player.”

That’s Nix’s way of saying that McKelvin might end up leaving because he wants to get more time at CB than the Bills are willing to give. Based on how he played in comparison to Rogers at CB in a supposed competition for the gig, it leaves fans wondering why in the world Nix and the Bills would prefer Rogers over McKelvin. The returning ability that McKelvin provides to this team is very valuable indeed, and I think the Bills would be wise to keep him.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Andrew Weber-US Presswire

Jackson is a quarterback who is more of a career-backup guy than a future starter, but the signing of Jacksonshould signify that the Bills are most likely willing to move away from Fitzpatrick. New Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone, however, told the official site that he will be getting both Jackson and Fitzpatrick to compete for the starting job, “I spoke with Ryan (Fitzpatrick) and Tarvaris (Jackson) and told them we will have an open competition at the quarterback position – similar to what we will do at all positions on our team heading into our offseason work. I believe that our players will embrace this challenge. We are looking forward to working with our players as we prepare for the 2013 season.”

If the Bills did not re-sign Jackson, then he would have hit unrestricted free  agency in mid-March. I hope Marrone is just saying something scripted, because the Bills cannot afford to keep trotting Fitzpatrick out there. He isn’t the guy and neither is Jackson. I don’t think both guys can co-exist on the roster together if a rookie quarterback is drafted, which is what the Bills should be doing in order to move forward at the position.

However, a move to keep both Jackson and Fitzpatrick and use them in a competition makes sense for the Bills if they truly feel like there isn’t a quarterback worth drafting. Marrone, as the official site notes, likely values Tarvaris Jackson due to his West Coast Offense fit, but I just feel like it is better for the Bills to draft a rookie and have Jackson (or maybe even Fitzpatrick, if they feel like he is better) start until the rookie is well-groomed for the starting role.

It would surprise me if Ryan Fitzpatrick is retained, because the comments Nix made this season against him were extremely strong. Neither Fitzpatrick nor Jackson can be “the guy” to lead a franchise, so the Bills are likely just looking for temporary fixes before drafting a quarterback for the future that they feel is worthy of the investment.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Bills are also taking a close look at another Cardinals coach in current defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who also has ties to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Horton is one of the best defensive minds in the game and has helped the Cardinals defense flourish as one of the best in the NFL. Syracuse Orange head coach Doug Marrone will also be brought into Orchard Park for an interview, but the Bills interest in the in-area college coach is quizzical.

Tim Graham of the Buffalo News also wrote that Lovie Smith- fired by the Chicago Bears yesterday- is interested in the Bills gig.

It’s clear to me that the order of talent of those three head coaches goes Smith, Whisenhunt, and then Marrone. The drop-off between Whisenhunt and Marrone is much greater than the one between Smith and Whisehunt, because both Smith and Whisenhunt are and have been viable head coaches in the National Football League.

We’ll see when the Bills schedule an interview with Whisenhunt, and it is Brandon who is currently calling the shots for the Bills. Although Buddy Nix was retained as the GM, the Bills front office is in a period of transition. It’s better for the Bills to have Brandon heading up the coaching search anyway, because it seems like he is much better at it than Nix.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.