The Kansas City Chiefs have added another face to their rookie mini-camp in the form of Virginia quarterback Matt Johns.
The Kansas City Chiefs already made their move for their quarterback of the future with the trade up in the 2017 NFL Draft to grab Patrick Mahomes. Despite his presence along with young holdovers like Tyler Bray and Joel Stave on the roster, the Chiefs have also invited former Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Matt Johns to their rookie mini-camp.
QB @MJohns5 has been invited for a minicamp tryout this weekend with the @Chiefs. #HoosInTheNFL ⚔️🔶🔷⚔️
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) May 1, 2017
A quick glance at the stat sheet doesn’t fare well for Johns, given that he lost his starting spot at UVa this last season after starting as a junior. In fact, Johns ended up at No. 3 on the depth chart before rising back up to start games near the end of the Cavaliers’ miserable season, and Johns didn’t exactly look good in those chances. In 2016, Johns completed 57.1 percent of his passes with 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. In his career, he threw for 30 touchdowns and 27 interceptions, so he’s prone to turnovers.
However, sometimes the stats don’t tell the full story and it’s clear that Chiefs general manager John Dorsey sees something he might like in Johns’ skill set. It will be interesting to see if Johns can take advantage of this blank slate with the Chiefs and make an impression. It’s also possible that Dorsey just wanted to add a quarterback to the rookie mini-camp slate of players for the sake of drills. Either way, Johns has a chance to flash what he can do in front of decision-makers who matter most.