Without any surprise, the Kansas City Chiefs did not draft an extra QB this year. Well, who could blame them? They already made one the best moves of the last decade when drafting Patrick Mahomes back in 2017.
How does the QB position look for the 2020 season?
The Chiefs already have their franchise face with Mahomes who has been pretty efficient up to now. With the veteran QB Chad Henne and the newly signed Jordan Ta’amu and Shea Patterson right behind Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs have some depth. Kyle Shurmur was cut surprisingly a few weeks back and Moore who helped last season in the Super Bowl run became a free agent this offseason.
Who will get the second spot?
Mahomes is the starter. No brainer. And unless there’s a serious injury that isn’t changing. Henne was the backup in 2018 though, so keeping him wasn’t a bad move by any means.
Ta’amu signed after playing five games with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. He was effective as both a passer and a runner, so Andy Reid could choose to keep him on the roster and use him in a number of different ways a little bit like Taysom Hill in New Orleans.
What Taysom Hill has done with the New Orleans Saints is a one-of-a-kind situation. He is listed as a QB but he plays all over the field. He has been seen making plays on special teams, running the ball, or even catching the ball.
Ta’amu spoke about his decision to sign with the Chiefs this week and his expectations moving forward.
”After the whole season went down, my agent and I were just waiting to see what kind of teams would try and pick me up or have me sign. I felt like the Chiefs were in my alley just the way the offense is, all the great things I’ve been hearing about Coach Reid and his offense and the quarterback room” said Ta’amu, ”Me and my agent figured this would be the best opportunity for me to learn and keep growing as such a young guy. I’m always open to learn and pick the quarterbacks’ brains, pick Patrick’s (Mahomes) and (Chad) Henne’s brains. That’s kind of my deal.”
”I think my ability to do a little bit of everything,” said Ta’mau regarding his fit in Kansas City, ”see the defense, pre-snap reads. Throwing, being accurate all the time, making smart decisions, that was the main key too. Using my feet when I have to, using my legs, that’s another weapon. I worked on a lot of that during the offseason right before the XFL training camp started. It showed in the games and practices.”
The Kansas City Chiefs added yet another developmental QB to serve as a backup to Patrick Mahomes by agreeing to contract terms with undrafted rookie Shea Patterson of Michigan.
Patterson and Ta’amu were teammates in 2017 at Ole Miss, a year before Patterson transferred to Michigan.
Patterson threw for 8,800 yards in his four collegiate seasons, two at Ole Miss and two at Michigan, with 68 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions. He threw for 3,061 yards with 23 TDs and eight interceptions for the Wolverines in 2019.
They could decide to use Patterson as a training camp body, just like Kyle Shurmur was in 2019. Or they could throw in a friendly competition to see which one of the two ex-teammates could win the number three QB spot.
That’ll be an interesting dynamic to consider as things progress throughout the offseason with the Chiefs.
Four QBs are too many? Maybe, but for now, a little bit of competition can do no harm.
