Chiefs sign the Patrick Mahomes insurance they desperately needed

The Kansas City Chiefs needed a backup quarterback and now they've got one.

Former Eagles, Colts, Commanders and Rams quarterback Carson Wentz is joining the Chiefs on a one-year deal, according to Jordan Schultz.

Wentz will replace Blaine Gabbert, who is a free agent.

Carson Wentz is upgraded backup behind Patrick Mahomes

There isn't a backup quarterback in the league that would make the Chiefs entirely comfortable if he had to replace Mahomes for any length of time. However, Wentz is certainly an experienced backup with 93 starts in his career.

Last year with the Rams, Wentz started one game and got the victory for Los Angeles in place of Matthew Stafford. He'd been 2-5 as a starter for the Commanders in 2022 and 9-8 with the Colts in 2021.

Wentz may not be a great quarterback but he could fill in and not be a total mess if the Chiefs needed him. That's all you can hope for from a backup.

If nothing else, he's an upgrade on Gabbert. And he's not a reclamation project like Zach Wilson.

Of course, Kansas City wants to see Mahomes stay healthy first and foremost. He's played through plenty of bruises and ankle tweaks in his career, but he's started every meaningful game in the last four seasons. In 2019 he dislocated his patella and missed just two games. That was the longest injury absence of his career.

As the Chiefs seek a three-peat, Wentz will be hoping to add a second Super Bowl ring to his collection. He was on the Super Bowl LII-winning Eagles but he was injured and had to watch Nick Foles secure the championship in his place.