Getty Former Chiefs quarterback Shane Buechele at Caesars Superdome on August 13, 2023.
Amid cutting their roster down to the 53-player league limit on Tuesday, August 29, the Buffalo Bills officially placed Matt Barkley on injured reserve, which meant the team only had one backup quarterback, Kyle Allen.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane addressed the gaping hole in the roster during a press conference on Wednesday, August 31. “Working on that (third) quarterback,” he said. “It’s in motion. We are going to add one, it’s in motion, it’ll probably be finalized tomorrow.”
As promised, the Bills announced on Thursday, August 31, they were signing former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Shane Buechele, who’s been Patrick Mahomes’ third-string backup since he first signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021.
The 25-year-old quarterback has never taken a regular-season snap, but he shined during the preseason this year, tallying 349 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Chiefs fans and analysts were surprised and sad to see the SMU alum released, Kansas City will instead look toward Blaine Gabbert as QB2, and watching Buechele go and join the Bills definitely raised some eyebrows.
Quick look at new #Bills practice squad QB Shane Buechele, No. 6 in your programs, #BillsMafia
Chiefs Digest contributor Matt Derrick posted, “No huge shock that Shane Buechele ends up with an AFC rival. Buffalo is a decent landing spot with a chance to win and compete. And the Bills get his institutional knowledge of the Chiefs offense,” while a Chiefs fan wrote, “THEY’RE GOING TO SIGN HIM FOR THE PLAYBOOK LIKE SEAN PAYTON SIGNING MOSTLY EX-CHIEFS… SHAMELESS OPPS.”
FanSided’s Patrick Allen posted, “The Bills are going to be really disappointed when they ask him what’s in the Chiefs’ playbook and he simply responds ‘Patrick Mahomes.'”
The Bills Were Already in the Market for Another QB
New Bills 3rd QB Shane Buechele warming up during his first practice with the team. He’s wearing no. 6.
While the Bills may be able to glean some rival knowledge from Buechele, Buffalo was already in the market for a backup quarterback before his release. Buffalo didn’t swerve to sign him merely for insight on Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s offensive playbook before the two teams face off on December 10.
Before Barkley was placed on IR, he was unexpectedly in the running to be Josh Allen‘s main backup amid Kyle Allen’s ongoing struggles, but such hype was put to bed during the Bills’ 27- 15 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After replacing Josh Allen, Barkley was intercepted three times in four pass attempts before getting sacked and losing a fumble. He completed 7-of-12 passes for 93 yards, and zero touchdowns before exiting the game with an elbow injury. Kyle Allen performed better, but his snaps came against a third-string defense.
Analysts urged the Bills to try and make a deal with the Texans to bring Case Keenum back, but Houston wasn’t interested in any trade offers, per The Athletic’s Diana Russini. The Bills inquired about landing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance but were outbid by the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bills May Keep 2 QBs on the Practice Squad
This highlight from new Bills QB Shane Buechele is straight out Josh Allen’s playbook 👀
With just 12 days before the Bills season opener against the New York Jets on Monday, September 11, Kyle Allen will start the year as Josh Allen’s main backup. While Buechele will start the season on the practice squad, it’s not yet clear what Buffalo will do with Barkley.
WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio posted, “While Barkley is currently on season-ending IR, there’s always the possibility of an injury settlement/release. That would allow the Bills to re-sign him after a few weeks. In the meantime, they’d get a look at Shane Buechele, then decide if they want to keep one or both on PS.
“Barkley offers a lot of value to the quarterback room. If he does just stay on IR for the season, he’d still be able to be in meetings, on the sidelines, etc. He just wouldn’t be able to play.”