The Kansas City Chiefs' dreams of winning a remarkable third Super Bowl in five seasons will no doubt be dashed if Patrick Mahomes goes down with serious injury.
But the Chiefs proved last season they can get by when it matters most if the league's reigning MVP is just briefly sidelined, like Mahomes was in the first round of the playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Backup quarterback Chad Henne led the Chiefs on a long touchdown drive just before halftime, a pivotal factor in their 27-20 victory.
Henne is gone now, though, calling his career quits after helping Kansas City hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Chiefs signed veteran Blaine Gabbert in the offseason to backup Mahomes, and long-time third quarterback Shane Buechele made enough progress during training camp that he opened Saturday's preseason finale as the team's No. 2 signal-caller.
Buechele failed to make the most of his start against the Cleveland Browns, completing less than half of his passes and throwing two picks before his day was over. Gabbert fared better than his fellow reserve, but might not have done enough to re-cement himself as Mahomes' primary backup despite finishing with two touchdown passes against one interception.
Why? The Chiefs could still bring in free agent quarterback Carson Wentz to compete behind Mahomes, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
“Carson Wentz and the Chiefs did talk this offseason. There was some dialogue about Wentz potentially joining the Chiefs maybe down the road, or at least, you know, keeping that communication open,” Fowler reported on SportsCenter, per Nick Kosko of Pro Talk. “And I was told the Chiefs were fairly receptive to that idea. Certainly they respect the talent. And I was told Wentz is open to getting to a championship-type team, getting into a new winning culture, where he can learn, you know, sit behind a Patrick Mahomes.”
Wentz has reportedly been training in Los Angeles, waiting for his call back to the NFL. An MVP candidate with the Philadelphia Eagles early in his career, the oft-injured 30-year-old spent 2022 with the Washington Commanders, losing his starting job midway through the regular season.
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