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The most unexpected Kansas City Chiefs cut of the 2023 53-man deadline might have been third-string quarterback Shane Buechele.
Not only was Buechele a close friend of superstar Patrick Mahomes II, but the Chiefs had seemingly been grooming him to take over as the primary backup behind Mahomes for years. He had also been having a strong preseason up until the finale versus the Cleveland Browns — in which two interceptions might have ended his run in Kansas City.
It was even more surprising when Buechele’s name didn’t turn up on the KC practice squad after he cleared waivers, but the SMU product’s status was finally revealed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on August 31.
“Former Chiefs’ QB Shane Buechele is signing today to the [Buffalo] Bills’ practice squad, per source,” Schefter informed. Later, Matt Parrino of the Bills beat shared video of Buechele practicing in Buffalo, wearing the No. 6 jersey.
Chiefs Digest insider Matt Derrick reacted to this clip, voicing: “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.”
Chiefs GM Brett Veach Explains Shane Buechele Cut, Admits Blaine Gabbert Won the Backup QB Job
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke with the KC media on August 30, and he was asked about the Buechele cut.
“Yeah, that was a tough one,” Veach began his response, “and we’ve gone in different directions in different years. Sometimes when you just try and keep some young guys too, it’s difficult, and you do try and project some guys that you can get on the practice squad.”
“Keeping six linebackers was something that is a little bit of an oddity too in some regards,” Veach acknowledged, “but when you have these young guys that you know are likely to be gone, you want to see that through [and] I think sometimes you have to make tough decisions.”
“Obviously, Shane is a good football player and we love having him around — certainly going to miss him,” he added. “It was just one of those things where at the end of the day — we always say this to all the guys — at the end of the day, make our jobs easy and put it on tape. That’s where Blaine [Gabbert] came out and won the job.”
Finally, Veach concluded that “it doesn’t make it any easier because I think there was a lot of trust and belief in Shane Buechele,” before citing the Charles Omenihu suspension and the young cornerback room as a couple of the reasons for his departure.
Chiefs QB Chris Oladokun Takes Over as New Developmental Project Behind Patrick Mahomes
The Chiefs may have lost Buechele, but they re-signed Oladokun to the practice squad on August 30, first reported by Derrick.
“The Chiefs have officially added a third quarterback: Chris Oladokun has signed with the practice squad, per source,” he relayed. “Oladokun bounced back from an interception against New Orleans with a strong preseason overall.”
Like Mahomes and Buechele, Oladokun has shown dual-threat ability as a runner and passer, but he’s still a work in progress overall. That’s not a problem for head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy — a former QBs coach.
This staff loves developmental projects like Oladokun and who knows, maybe he’ll eventually end up filling that long-term backup role that Buechele appeared primed for heading into the 2023 offseason.
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