Fans Erupt Over Shift on Chiefs QB Depth Chart: ‘He’s Had Baller Games’

When Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was done playing in the preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints, veteran Blaine Gabbert was the first quarterback to take snaps after Mahomes. That made sense, as Gabbert signed a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with the Chiefs this offseason as an obvious replacement for Chad Henne, who retired after Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVII victory.

But in the Chiefs Week 2 preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, third-year quarterback Shane Buechele got the first snaps after Mahomes, and some of them were with the remainder of the first-team offense.

Following a 7-play, 88-yard touchdown drive on Buechele’s first drive on the game, fans were torn over who the Chiefs QB2 should be for the regular season.

“Shane Buechele wants that sweet, sweet Patrick Mahomes backup job. Go get it, young fella!” Patrick Allen of FanSided wrote.

“He’s had baller games in the past couple preseason games it seems like, I was shocked we were able to keep him on the scout squad last year,” another user wrote about Buechele.

“If that was an audition to make this an actual battle for the backup quarterback, Shane Buechele just nailed it,” Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride wrote.

“Shane Buechele is such a ‘when the lights come on’ kind of player. Really impressive drive from Buechele, who operated from behind the starting offensive line,” Nate Taylor of The Athletic wrote.

“#Chiefs QB Shane Buechele and RB La’Mical Perine jumping up to join the second team today and showing why they got bumped up,” Pete Green of Fox 4 in Kansas City wrote. “Quality performances from both so far.”

After the 38-10 win for the Chiefs, head coach Andy Reid explained that Buechele played before Gabbert because Gabbert wasn’t expected to play, according to Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star.

“Andy Reid said this was a game that Blaine Gabbert wasn’t scheduled to play because he usually sits his second guy. But said both he and Buechele played well,” McDowell wrote.

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Shane Buechele Battling Blaine Gabbert During Preseason

In Kansas City’s 26-24 loss to the 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, Gabbert was the QB2 against the Saints, played three total series, scored on the final drive, and overall completed 4-of-8 pass attempts for 48 yards.

Against the Cardinals, 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.

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.

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QB2 Battle One to Watch in Preseason Finale

Blaine Gabbert hasn’t done enough bad things through two preseason games to definitively make Shane 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.

Gabbert — if he loses the QB2 battle to Buechele — can be a well-paid QB3 in Kansas City that’s still helping the team in a big way, as his knowledge of the game can help supplement what superstar quarterback Patrick 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.

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