The Kansas City Chiefs have made a decision on how many quarterbacks they’ll keep on the 53-man roster.
According to a report from Sirius XM NFL Insider Adam Caplan, the Chiefs are set to waive UDFA QB Shane Buechele during 53-man roster cuts. Buechele, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent out of SMU following the 2021 NFL draft, won the competition for third-string QB in Kansas City this offseason. His competition, Anthony Gordon, was released in the first round of roster cuts.
This move likely means that the Chiefs will carry just Patrick Mahomes and Chad Henne on the 53-man roster this season. The team kept just two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster last year and did just fine.
#Chiefs are waiving UDFA QB Shane Buechele, source said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) August 31, 2021
The Chiefs had a chance to get a good look at Buechele during the preseason. He was a standout through three games, with 37 completions for 422 yards, three passing touchdowns, 10 carries for 18 yards and one rushing touchdown. He had a comeback game-winning drive in preseason Week 1, which was rather impressive work by the rookie.
The Chiefs aren’t taking a risk by putting Buechele on waivers. His performance in the preseason could see him claimed by another quarterback-needy team. Should he clear waivers there’s little doubt that he’d return to the Chiefs’ practice squad, but it’s not a given that he’ll make it back to Kansas City.
