When the Bills acquired Matt Cassel in a trade with the Vikings this offseason, the idea was that Cassel could be a starter, at least as a stopgap until Buffalo found a long-term answer at quarterback.

But it may not work out that way.

Cassel was so bad at minicamp that Mike Rodak of ESPN writes that there’s a real chance Cassel won’t even make the regular-season roster. At the moment EJ Manuel appears to have a leg up on Cassel, and Tyrod Taylor is being given every chance to win the starting job as well. Cassel could be the odd man out.

A report last month said that Manuel is no lock to make the roster, either, which indicates that things are wide open in Buffalo’s quarterback competition. But there’s an important difference between Manuel and Cassel: Manuel’s contract is guaranteed, meaning the Bills are on the hook to pay him $2.8 million the next two years whether he’s on the team or not. Cassel’s $4.15 million base salary is not guaranteed, meaning the Bills save that money if they cut him before the season starts.

All of which means that if Cassel doesn’t separate himself as the clear top quarterback on the roster, he may not be on the roster at all. And so far, Cassel is not distinguishing himself.