EJ Manuel to Miss Remainder of Preseason With Knee Injury

The EJ Manuel era in Buffalo … has been delayed by a few weeks.

Manuel, whom many considered a near lock to win the job of Bills starting quarterback, will now miss the remainder of the preseason to undergo what head coach Doug Marrone called a “minor knee procedure.”

Marrone said in a statement released by the team Saturday that Manuel experienced swelling in his left knee following the Bills’ 20-16 win over the Vikings on Friday. He was examined by team doctors and underwent an MRI, and Marrone said that the team will re-evaluate him at the end of the preseason.

The first quarterback taken in this year’s NFL draft, Manuel has far outperformed veteran Kevin Kolb through the team’s first two preseason games. Manuel has completed 26 of 33 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns while Kolb, who missed the preseason opener in Indianapolis, was 13-for-21 on Friday with an interception and a 55.9 passer rating.

Prior to being drafted 16th overall in April, Manuel completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 7,736 yards, 47 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in four years at Florida State.