Eight full weeks of the 2026 NFL season are in the books. The Kansas City Chiefs sit at 5-2 through the first eight weeks of action, dropping games to the Seahawks and Broncos along the way.
Before and during the Chiefs' Week 8 game against the Broncos, former members of the Chiefs suited up and took the field with their current teams. In our weekly installment, we'll take a look this time around at two former Chiefs backup quarterbacks, a star cornerback, and a former player who had quite the mysterious time while in Kansas City.
Let's check in and see how these Chiefs alum did during Week 8.
Gardner Minshew got his chance and delivered
The Chiefs signed Gardner Minshew to back up Patrick Mahomes in 2025, but it didn't go according to plan. Minshew took over when Mahomes was injured late in the year but didn't play well. Then, in what ended up being his only start, he was also injured, forcing Chris Oladokun to start the remaining three games.
Minshew moved on to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason and was named the backup behind Jacoby Brissett. Well, in Week 8, Minshew finally got a chance to show why Minshew Mania was once a thing.
Minshew finished the game with 188 yards and three touchdowns, bringing the Cardinals back into a game that seemed over with Brissett at the helm. The Cardinals' offense forced overtime and went on to kick the game-winner moments later.
"The one big change has been the quarterback," Kenny Albert said during the broadcast once it was clear the game was far from over. This is the kind of production the Chiefs had hoped they'd get from Minshew if they needed him last year, but, hey, injuries happen. It was good to see he still has it.
Trent McDuffie picked off Justin Herbert
The biggest name to leave the Chiefs this past offseason was Trent McDuffie, who was traded to the Rams. The Rams did not get off to the start many envisioned for them, and by the time they faced the Chargers at SoFi for the showdown of Los Angeles teams, they were 3-4 on the year.
Well, make that 4-4 after the blowout win over the hapless Chargers. McDuffie had a great game against his old divisional foe, tallying nine tackles and picking off Justin Herbert. That gives McDuffie two interceptions with the Rams.
This production isn't surprising for Chiefs fans, and while it'd have been great to have had McDuffie in this secondary, the trade made sense. K.C. wasn't going to be able to afford his extension, so they needed to sell on him while they still could.
Josh Uche added his second sack of the season
Back in 2024, the Chiefs traded for Josh Uche, who was then a member of the Patriots. He had 11.5 sacks just two years prior, and fans hoped that Uche could help rejuvenate the pass rush. What happened instead was that Uche was largely ignored and often left as a healthy scratch most weeks. It was very confusing.
The next year, he signed with the Eagles and appeared in 12 games in Philly. He's now with the Dolphins and already has two sacks in seven games. Considering the Chiefs have just nine sacks through the same number of games, it's safe to say that Uche could have been a nice addition to this unit.
Uche tallied his second sack in the Dolphins' loss to New England, but he played well. He had that sack and four total tackles. It's unfortunate that Kansas City didn't know how to utilize him when he was here because he could have been a nice player under Steve Spagnuolo.
Carson Wentz could get his chance soon
All right, so this one is a little different from the others because Carson Wentz didn't actually play in Week 8. Wentz is in Minnesota for the second straight year and is backing up Kyler Murray, who joined the Vikings this offseason.
The problem is that Murray has been painfully bad as the starting quarterback. The Vikings went 6-0 in spite of him, and now he's dealing with an injury that puts his Week 9 status in jeopardy. If Murray can't go, it'll be Carson Wentz time in Minneapolis, just in time for a date with the Bills.
Wentz played in Week 1 after Murray was injured early on and started in Week 2 in rainy Chicago. If he's called upon this weekend, it'll be his second start of the year for the Vikings.
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