The Kansas City Chiefs could be without starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes for various lengths of time pending the results of his MRI on Friday. The quarterback situation behind Mahomes is hardly the worst in the league and the Chiefs have a few options to work through. It’s time to get to know what those options will be for the Chiefs without Mahomes able to play.
Matt Moore
Moore stepped in for the injured Patrick Mahomes on Thursday Night Football and performed admirably. He led the Chiefs to a 30-6 victory over the Denver Broncos, completing 10-of-19 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.
He didn’t put the ball in harm’s way and executed the offense, taking virtually no practice repetitions with the first team leading up to this opportunity. Travis Kelce said after the game that a lot of guys, including himself, had never caught a pass from Moore before. Tyreek Hill was the lone exception because he had been injured and the two played together on the scout team. They connected in the game for a 57-yard touchdown pass.
Right now, Moore will remain the Chiefs’ top option at quarterback. He touched on being the new starter following the game during his press conference.
“I think so, yeah. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be standing up here,” Moore said. “I’ve played in this league before. Just like everybody, I’ve had my ups and downs bu confidence is for sure there. Obviously, it’s going to grow day-by-day — so, I feel good.”
Obviously, the offense is going to change a bit with Moore under center. He doesn’t have the arm strength or mobility that Patrick Mahomes has. The one thing that likely won’t change, without a bad performance, is that Reid trusts Moore to be able to execute the offense.
It’s wild to think that just a few months ago Moore was retired and coaching high school football. Now, his ability to be successful and execute the offense may be the key to the Chiefs’ success in the 2019 season.
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Kyle Shurmur
Shurmur was in a QB competition with Chad Henne and Chase Litton this offseason for the Chiefs. The rookie undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt had an impressive showing during the preseason and it all culminated in the final game. During that game, he completed 70% of his passes throwing for 143 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a half of play.
Despite his performance, Shurmur did not make the 53-man roster for the Chiefs. Instead, he was signed to the 10-man practice squad following roster cuts. With Matt Moore getting most of the scout team repetitions lately, Shurmur likely hasn’t had much work since the preseason.
Given Andy Reid’s desire for a veteran/young player dynamic in the quarterback room, expect the Chiefs to elevate Shurmur from the practice squad later this week.
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Chad Henne
Henne injured his ankle during the Week 3 preseason contest against the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs opted to keep Henne on the 53-man roster and send him to the injured reserve list after he spent time on the 53-man roster. That means he’s eligible to return to action for the Chiefs after Week 8 of the NFL’s regular season, assuming that he’s healthy and ready to return.
Henne had a right high ankle sprain and a fracture in that same ankle. He had surgery on that ankle before the preseason was over. If Henne’s able to return, he has the most experience in this offense of any player. He could potentially be the best option for the Chiefs of the quarterbacks currently under team control.
As fun as it is to throw out names the Chiefs could trade for or bring in, it’s unlikely at this time that they go away from either of these three options. If they do sign someone it will probably be a guy like Chase Litton, who is on the Jaguars practice squad and has been in the Chiefs’ system before. The best bet is to hope for a swift recovery for Patrick Mahomes and that these three players can string together some wins in his absence.
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