Report: Rex Ryan thought about trying to trade for Geno Smith after landing Bills job

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan appears to have been open to the idea of acquiring a familiar face in an effort to solve his new team's still-unsolved questions at the quarterback position.

Upon landing the Bills job earlier this offseason, Ryan wondered aloud to friends whether the Jets would be willing to trade Geno Smith to Buffalo, according to Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News.

Despite some relatively uninspiring play from Smith during Ryan's time with the Jets, the head coach maintained belief in his young signal-caller throughout, Mehta explained.

It's unlikely that the Jets were ever willing to move Smith, whether the Bills made contact about a potential deal or not. However, the fact that Ryan considered pursuing such a deal makes for an interesting thought nonetheless.

The Bills will host a competition between Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor, and EJ Manuel throughout the preseason, with Cassel being the favorite at this point in camp.

Smith was the favorite to win the job in New York after a strong start to training camp, seemingly in position for a breakout year, but a broken jaw suffered in a locker room altercation will have him sidelined for the next 6-10 weeks.

The Jets released IK Enemkpali after the incident, and the Bills claimed the linebacker off waivers Wednesday.