Former Vols Quarterback Is Moving Up The Depth Chart As A Rookie
By Zach Ragan
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Nathan Peterman is rising up the Buffalo Bills’ depth chart.
If you would’ve told me in 2013 that Nathan Peterman would one day be number two on the depth chart for a NFL team, I probably would’ve laughed in your face.
Peterman, who played for the Tennessee Vols from 2012-2014 before transferring to Pittsburgh, didn’t have the best start to his college football career.
The Florida native, who was recruited by Derek Dooley, started two games during his time in Knoxville. Peterman’s first start, as a redshirt freshman, came on the road against Florida.
Obviously that’s a tough environment for your first career start, so it wasn’t a shock that it didn’t go very well. Peterman completed 4-of-11 passes for only five yards. He also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
Peterman would make one more start during his career at Tennessee — against Alabama in 2014. He completed 2-of-4 passes for ten yards before giving way to Josh Dobbs.
After the 2014 season, Peterman made the decision to transfer to Pittsburgh. It turned out to be the best decision of his career. Peterman remade himself in 2015 and 2016 and caught the eye of NFL scouts.
The Buffalo Bills selected Peterman in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. It’s a move that’s already paying off for the Bills.
Peterman started training camp as the team’s third quarterback, but that didn’t last long.
TJ Yates was mediocre at best in the Bills’ pre-season opener. Peterman, on the other hand, looked very sharp, throwing for 112 yards and a touchdown.
As a result, it looks like Peterman is now the second quarterback on the Bills’ depth chart.
Nathan Peterman gets the opening round of the second-team reps. TJ Yates with the threes. #Bills
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) August 13, 2017
QB Nathan Peterman is still working with the twos. TJ Yates' struggles from Thursday likely a big reason. #Bills
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) August 13, 2017
Who saw this coming? I certainly didn’t.
But hey, I’m definitely happy for Peterman. I don’t think he necessarily got a raw deal at Tennessee, it just wasn’t the right situation for him.
Bills starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor has yet to play 16 games in a season during his NFL career, so there’s a very good chance we could actually see Peterman start a regular season game in 2017.
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Peterman exemplifies what it means to not give up when you face adversity. He kept believing in himself and now he’s set himself up to potentially make an impact in the NFL.