3 Chiefs who earned a roster spot, 1 who should be cut after preseason Week 2
By Mark Powell
The Kansas City Chiefs tore up the Arizona Cardinals defense like swiss cheese on Saturday night, but who made enough of an impact to sway the coaching staff?
After a tough 2023-24 season debut against the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs fans were able to witness their team dominate for a full 60 minutes on Saturday night — so, the usual. By the final score of 38-10, Andy Reid and the offense had plenty to be excited about, while the defense held strong despite facing multiple quarterbacks and different offensive schemes.
Kansas City quarterbacks only had seven incompletions on the day, as they revisited some familiar turf from last season’s Super Bowl title. It should be noted that five of those incompletions came from Patrick Mahomes.
With that in mind, the fireworks on offense were the major storyline. But who impressed the coaching staff?
Chiefs who made the roster: Shane Buechele
It’s unclear exactly where Shane Buechele ranks on the Kansas City depth chart. The Chiefs brought in Blaine Gabbert this offseason as a veteran replacement for Chad Henne, who retired after a long career in KC. Henne led a 99-yard drive in the Divisional Round as the icing on top of a memorable career as a backup.
On Saturday night, Buechele was flawless, as in his completed all of his passes. 10-for-10 for 105 yards is an impressive stat-line, and while Gabbert had two touchdowns of his own, Buechele’s numbers came against better competition.
Matt Conner of Arrowhead Addict summarized Buechele’s performance as a memorable one:
"“Buechele came in as the primary backup for Patrick Mahomes on the night in a bit of role reversal from the team’s first preseason game and went right to work on the team’s second touchdown drive of the night. Picking up where he left off as an offensive spark from the first week of the preseason, Buechele showed solid accuracy and awareness in the pocket and some playmaking ability outside of it as he scrambled 15 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.”"
As good as Gabbert was, Buechele seems to have the inside edge for QB2.