Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
With two preseason games now in the books for the Kansas City Chiefs, head coach Andy Reid made a statement during his press conference on Monday, August 21 that addressed a brewing question within Chiefs Kingdom:
There’s a legitimate battle taking place for the No. 2 quarterback role in Kansas City.
“Those two are real close,” Reid said of the competition between Blaine Gabbert and Shane Buechele. “I mean they’re real close in there, so they’re competing. Just let it play out here, see how it goes. It’s good competition.”
Shane Buechele Showing Improvement in Year 3
In Kansas City’s 26-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints in the preseason opener, Shane Buechele was the third quarterback off the bench and completed 11-of-18 pass attempts for 155 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, per ESPN.
Meanwhile, Blaine Gabbert — who signed with the Chiefs this offseason — was the QB2 against New Orleans, played three total series, scored on the final drive, and overall completed 4-of-8 pass attempts for 48 yards.
Against the Cardinals in Week 2 of the preseason, Buechele was the QB2 for Kansas City, played two total drives (not counting the kneel-down before halftime), completed 10-of-10 pass attempts for 105 yards, and had a 15-yard rushing touchdown.
QB Shane Buechele drops back, scrambles to his left, and carries it into the end zone for a 15-yard TD. PAT is good.
#Chiefs – 14
#Cardinals – 0
Gabbert — whose first snaps came in the third quarter against Arizona — played two series and completed 7-of-8 pass attempts for 120 yards and threw 2 touchdowns.
Andy Reid said after the game against Arizona that Buechele was the first quarterback to play after Patrick Mahomes because he typically sits his QB2 in the second preseason game. But Gabbert ended up playing in that game as well, which brings into question whether Big Red had changed his mind mid-game about who his QB2 is after watching Buechele play.
Gabbert hasn’t done enough bad things through two preseason games to definitively make Buechele the Chiefs’ QB2 during the regular season. Yet, despite two overall strong outings from Gabbert, Buechele’s play has been good enough to keep him in the conversation as Patrick Mahomes’ backup.
There’s a slim chance that Gabbert — even if he’s outplayed by Buechele during the preseason finale — will be cut by the Chiefs. The defending Super Bowl champions owe him $2.25 million in 2023 and won’t retain any of that if he’s cut.
If Gabbert is outplayed by Buechele during the preseason, the option does exist that he could be Kansas City’s QB3 during the regular season. Even in that role, Gabbert can help the team in a big way, as his knowledge of the game can help supplement what Mahomes already knows.
But if Buechele continues to steadily improve as he has since being a walk-on practice squad player in 2021, then Kansas City will have to either make room on the 53-player roster for three quarterbacks or cut/trade a quality NFL quarterback in the coming weeks.
Shane Buechele ‘Confident’ in Chiefs System
Speaking to the media after the 38-10 win over Arizona, Shane Buechele spoke about his confidence as he enters year three in Kansas City’s system.
“This is the first time that I’ve ever been in the same offense for three years in a row,” Buechele said on August 19. “I feel confident in my ability and my preparation and knowing this offense in and out. Obviously, we can keep getting smarter, but just the confidence I have and the preparation in knowing this offense has really helped me be successful on the field. The coaches call great plays, and we have really good players on our side. Whenever we go out there and we execute, we’re hard to stop.”
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Chiefs HC Andy Reid Addresses Key Position Battle: ‘Real Close’