The Kansas City Chiefs are down to their third- and fourth-string quarterbacks after QB Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn left ACL and PCL and backup Gardner Minshew suffered a knee injury of his own in back-to-back weeks.
The Chiefs are currently 6-9 and are eliminated from playoff contention and had to turn to QB Chris Oladokun early against the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. Oladokun completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards and was sacked four times for a total loss of 44 yards.
Oladokun didn’t provide much of a spark for a depleted Chiefs team, and because they are thin at the position, Kansas City signed QB Shane Buechele off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad. Buechele was a Chief in 2021 and 2022.
Since Mahomes will be rehabbing his knee injuries for the entire offseason, how will the Chiefs approach this situation in the offseason?
“ Patrick Mahomes faces a lengthy recovery from his torn ACL, and given the team's struggles this season, the Chiefs might need steady reinforcements for Week 1. Joe Flacco is the kind of QB who would make some sense,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote Wednesday.
“Kansas City is very much worth watching, because if nothing else, it is going to need quarterbacks to operate its offseason program,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano added. “Even if Mahomes is back in time for the regular season, there are going to be a lot of practice reps, training camp reps and preseason game reps to go around. Do the Chiefs bring in a veteran who can start if Mahomes isn't ready right away? Do they draft a developmental QB with upside and offer him a chance at a full offseason of first-team reps to accelerate that development? Do they do some combination of both? The Chiefs' QB moves this offseason could give us some clue about Mahomes' recovery timetable.”
I could see Kansas City drafting a quarterback for this scenario, but adding a veteran just in case, like Joe Flacco, makes more sense to me. Unless Mahomes goes down with another significant injury, the likelihood of whoever they select starting is slim. Head coach Andy Reid will be more trusting of a veteran QB than a rookie QB.
Until we reach that point, it seems like Oladokun will remain as the starter for the last two games, starting with a daunting matchup against the Denver Broncos and closing the season with a meeting against the Las Vegas Raiders.