With Gardner Minshew injured in Week 16, the Kansas City Chiefs suddenly found themselves with just Chris Oladokun shoring up the QB room. There’s two games still left to play in the season, and the Chiefs had to add depth fast. Not leaving anything to chance, they brought in the familiar face of Shane Buechele. 

“With Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew injuring their knees in back-to-back weeks, the Chiefs are signing QB Shane Buechele off the Bills’ practice squad,” writes NFL insider Adam Schefter. “Buechele spent the 2021-’22 season with the Chiefs. He passed his physical today.”

Buechele never took a regular-season snap for the Chiefs, but absorbed the system before moving to the Buffalo Bills. He may not bring the needed experience to the table, but that familiarity with the building counts when you’re asking a player to step in during crunch time.

The 27-year-old originally landed in KC as an undrafted free agent. He bounced around practice squads for years and never got the call on game day. Now, he’s insurance behind Chris Oladokun, who just threw his first career pass in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans, filling in for Minshew after he left the field.

This cascade notably started on Week 15. Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers, ending his season along with the Chiefs’ playoff hopes. Just a week later, Minshew went down with a knee injury, with many fearing the same ACL injury that sidelined their franchise quarterback. Following the Week 16 disaster, head coach Andy Reid had noted the team will be looking at other options for quarterback. And now, the show’s in the hands of Oladokun and Buechele.

To be fair, Buechele gives Kansas City a much-needed breathing room. If Oladokun struggles or gets hurt, they’ve now got someone who won’t be completely lost. That’s all you can ask for when your top two quarterbacks are watching from the sideline.

Patrick Mahomes did deliver some good news though. His surgery reportedly went very well, and he’s already attacking rehab, eyeing a 2026 season return firmly. And as for Gardner Minshew, he has a positive update about his injury.

Minshew avoids worst-case scenario

Minshew’s injury looked catastrophic when he crumpled to the turf in Week 16. Early whispers pointed to an ACL tear, the same fate that ended Patrick Mahomes’ season. But Minshew’s tests have come back clean. Well, cleaner than expected.

“Minshew did not tear his ACL as feared,” Adam Schefter further added in his report. “He is expected to miss time, but his ACL is intact.”

With just two games left to go, it likely means that Minshew will not be able to suit up for them. But for a quarterback on a one-year deal with Kansas City, that’s certainly good news. Meanwhile, that leaves the Christmas matchup against the Denver Broncos in Chris Oladokun’s hand.

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In his Week 16 debut, he managed 11-of-16 passes for 111yards, leading four drives into field-goal range. Not flashy, sure, but he was functional, especially for someone whose last real reps came in the training camp. He took 4 sacks, but didn’t turn the ball over, and showed composure under pressure. And he’s excited for more action.

“It’s going to be real valuable for us moving forward for years to come here in Kansas City,” he said post game. “The possibility of me making a first start on Christmas Day is pretty special. I have my family in town. So, I’m looking forward to it.”

Now he gets his first career start at home as Shane Buechele suits up as the backup. For now, Minshew will watch from the sideline and Mahomes will keep rehabbing for a return. That’s where the Chiefs are now; making it work with two quarterbacks that were never in their plans back in September. But Oladokun now has two games to make his presence felt.