If the New York Giants are willing to cheaply part ways with Davis Webb, he could be worth an interesting flyer for the Chiefs as a back-up.
Patrick Mahomes and Davis Webb share a few things in common. They are officially a part of the NFL’s rookie class of 2017, and both are quarterbacks who have largely had to wait for their moment in the spotlight. From there, the storylines part ways, however. One has waited a single season knowing all along that he’s the future face of the franchise. The other has nothing but confusion and concern about why he’s not been given a chance.
Mahomes is the present and future for the Kansas City Chiefs, at least if the plan proceeds accordingly with Alex Smith likely on the trade block. In a brief audition in Week 17, Mahomes looked like he’d grown considerably from an already impressive preseason showing during training camp. Most of Chiefs Kingdom would be surprised if Mahomes wasn’t under center to start the 2018 regular season.
Looking ahead to that moment, however, presents a hole where Mahomes once stood, in a back-up role that currently has no one slated for it. Tyler Bray, the team’s longtime third quarterback, is also a free agent and with Smith on the trading block, the Chiefs could be a few weeks away from having Mahomes as the only quarterback listed on the depth chart.
Enter Davis Webb. We bring him up here because the New York Giants are apparently letting it be known that the former Cal product can be had for pennies on the dollar (without saying so directly). The former regime sunk a third round pick in Webb to back-up and eventually take over for Eli Manning, yet somehow even in a year when Manning faded fast, Ben McAdoo was still taken to task for wanting to clear a path for Webb.
New general manager Dave Gettleman had an interesting take on Webb when speaking to reporters at the Senior Bowl.
"“I know nothing (about Webb),” Gettleman said. “I know that he’s a double transfer. I’ve spent some time talking to him. He seems like a great kid. I know he followed Eli around and is learning how to be a pro. That’s what I know.”"
The bottom line is that the current leadership is shrugging their shoulders at Webb at this point. Even publicly, they aren’t trying to put on an optimistic face to drive the price up. They’re not inflating his stock or playing coy in the slightest. While they will certainly do their homework, it’s possible they’re ready to turn the page for the sake of drafting their own guy in April. Together with Manning, that’s the two QBs a team would need, which means Webb could be the odd man out.
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Consider that Brett Veach has already proven himself to be wooed by low-risk, high-reward trade candidates and Webb fits snugly next to Reggie Ragland and Cam Erving in that regard. What if the Chiefs could grab Webb for, say, a sixth round choice? Is that not an automatic trade (if the Chiefs liked him as a prospect, obviously)?
If the Giants just want to let him walk, content to take pretty much anything on compensation, the Chiefs should take advantage of the situation. A veteran back-up would be nice behind Mahomes, but that can get pricey. Webb, on the other hand, won’t even hit $1 million in cap hit until 2020. That’s a solid financial picture at the NFL’s most expensive position for a team so often flush against the cap.
Even more, there’s a reason for the Chiefs to like Webb’s upside as well. He was highly regarded coming into the draft and could be another starter in the making, if given a chance. While Mahomes is the favorite, he’s also not a guarantee. Webb could be a nice option in case some worst-case scenario begins to unfold. Remember Washington’s stroke of luck that they selected Kirk Cousins in the same draft as Robert Griffin III?
There are teams with greater needs for a quarterback prospect like Davis Webb, which means the Chiefs aren’t likely going to be in on this sort of trade. But if, for some reason, other teams don’t bite and the Giants keep shrugging, it’d be nice to see Veach pull another high ceiling prospect in exchange for a low-level draft asset.