The Kansas City Chiefs have the most important position in the game covered.
With the presence of Patrick Mahomes under center, the biggest question for any NFL franchise is easily answered, but what about the security behind him? The Chiefs gave an indication they like what they have in developmental quarterback Shane Buechele.
On Tuesday, the Chiefs apparently decided to promote Buechele from the team’s practice squad to the active roster in order to avoid losing him. The reason is that the Arizona Cardinals were interested in doing the same. Buechele would not have been forced to accept a deal with the Cardinals, but most football players will do anything for a real opportunity and that’s what the Cardinals were apparently offering, per Field Yates.
The Chiefs must really like what they have in Shane Buechele.
The Chiefs responded by closing that door and giving Buechele a spot on the active roster instead.
The Chiefs are signing QB Shane Buechele from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, as @caplannfl said.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 16, 2021
The reason? The Cardinals attempted to sign Buechele to their active roster, per source. Both Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy are currently dealing with injuries.
Buechele first signed with the Chiefs this last spring as a rookie free agent who went undrafted out of Southern Methodist University. He came into the league as a pro-ready prospect in terms of his intelligence, experience, decision-making, and accuracy in the short-to-medium parts of the field. The downside, and what kept him from getting drafted, is that he lacks the prototypical look (size and athleticism) teams love and the deep ball simply isn’t there like it is for other quarterbacks.
To summarize, he lacks the sexy upside that other raw quarterbacks have, but Buechele also has a higher floor than others.
The Chiefs brought Buechele into camp and he beat out Anthony Gordon in the summer for the third quarterback role on the team in the preseason. From there, he continued to impress although the Chiefs were only going to break camp with two active signal callers, which relegated Buechele to the practice squad. However, the Chiefs began to protect Buechele on the P.S. in October and now it’s clear that Buechele’s stock is even higher.
What does this mean for the long-term? The Chiefs are now willing to use a roster spot to protect their long-term interests in Buechele. This bodes very well for his ability to not just compete as a developmental arm but to potentially take over for the likes of Chad Henne next season. It might be weird to think about the Chiefs without a savvy veteran quarterback to place alongside Mahomes, but the truth is that next year will be Mahomes’ sixth season in the league. There’s no longer a real need for some aging vet. Instead, Mahomes has seen every look from every team and has a wealth of experience upon which he can draw. That’s not to say other voices wouldn’t be appreciated but it’s no longer a roster must-have.
If that’s true and the Chiefs agree, then that could mean good things for Shane Buechele and his potential to be QB2 for the Kansas City Chiefs. If there wasn’t at least the chance, we might be discussing Buechele as a member of the Arizona Cardinals.