The Kansas City Chiefs have no real way of knowing whether Patrick Mahomes will be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season after his torn ACL.
The reality is that this offseason includes a key task for them: Finding a backup, and potential injury fill-in, for their superstar quarterback.
A season ago, Gardner Minshew was the backup, and he sustained a late-season knee injury. The Chiefs could bring him back, or they could look elsewhere.
It's not a particularly inspired free agent pool, but ESPN's Nate Taylor sees three guys in it that the Chiefs will consider as the Mahomes fill-in:
Kirk Cousins
Trey Lance
Tyler Huntley
"A major reason why the Chiefs should sign a veteran quarterback is because they have just six draft picks to bolster plenty of other areas on the roster -- such as the defensive line, receiver, running back, safety and tight end," Taylor writes, essentially pushing back on the idea of Kansas City using a draft pick for a QB.
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Obviously, the Chiefs need Mahomes to get back sooner rather than later, because there's no way to replicate what he does.
That trio of names presented by Taylor has some fascination to it, at least.
Cousins is expected to be released by the Atlanta Falcons at the start of the new league year later this month. He's well past his prime but is an experienced NFL quarterback who would likely at least keep Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy's offense moving.
Lance is the former No. 3 overall pick who was a bust for the 49ers and has since moved to the Cowboys and then Chargers. He's played well in the preseason recently but has very little recent NFL starting experience.
Huntley has bounced around but is most known for his time with the Ravens, where he's reliable as a mobile QB.
Each would present their own pros and cons, but the Chiefs certainly know they've got to get someone. Even if Mahomes is ready Week 1, there'll be added fear about his health going forward coming off the big injury.
Teams don't want to have to play their backup quarterbacks, but it's clearly an important spot, and the Chiefs might actually have to use theirs in Week 1.
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