The Chiefs made a significant step toward improving their backup quarterback situation on Wednesday, as they signed veteran Nick Foles, a source confirmed to The Kansas City Star.
The news was first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier in the day that Foles was also considering Minnesota and Dallas, and that a decision was expected soon.
The addition of Foles certainly makes sense, given the fact Chiefs coach Andy Reid selected Foles in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. Foles went on to complete 161 of 265 passes (60.8 percent) for 1,699 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions as a rookie in Reid's final season in Philadelphia.
Foles, who is listed at 6 feet 5 and 244 pounds, had a terrific sophomore campaign under Chip Kelly the next year, going 8-2 as a starter and completing 64 percent of his passes for 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
He fell off a bit the next year under Kelly, completing 59.8 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions before he was traded to the Rams for Sam Bradford. Foles completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 2,052 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season and was granted his release this summer after the team's selection of Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick.
Foles gives the Chiefs a veteran option behind starter Alex Smith, as none of the players currently battling for the job _ Tyler Bray, Aaron Murray or Kevin Hogan _ has ever attempted a NFL regular-season pass, which is certainly not ideal should any of them be pressed into action during a season in which the Chiefs have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
Foles, 27, gives the Chiefs a veteran option with upside who still has youth on his side and plenty of moldable tools. Most importantly, he's played a lot at the NFL level and gives the Chiefs a fighting chance during the season should he be pressed into action.
That's not to say Bray and Murray haven't made strides this offseason _ they have. Comparatively speaking, Murray has the better, quicker delivery, while Bray has the bigger arm. Both look a little better than they did during organized team activities, as Bray has consistently shown a knack for making the deep throw while Murray has generally been more accurate than he was in OTAs.
However, there's little either could do during training camp _ short of playing lights out, which has not been the case _ that would make either of them a better option than Foles at this point.
The Chiefs only have $432,000 in cap space after the Eric Fisher deal, and are already at the offseason roster limit of 90, so they will likely need to make a move or two if they've given Foles an adequate backup salary, which would presumably hovers around $4 million or so in today's NFL.
