Chiefs QB depth chart: How Patrick Mahomes' ACL injury impacts Kansas City
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The Kansas City Chiefs suffered one of their worst losses of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15.
Not only were the Chiefs eliminated from playoff contention in their 16-13 loss, but they also lost starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a torn ACL near the end of regulation.
Mahomes will now miss the remainder of the 2025 NFL season as a result of his injury. The Chiefs have not yet clarified whether they expect the 30-year-old quarterback to be ready for the start of the 2026 NFL season and likely won't have a further update about his status until he undergoes surgery to repair the injury.
In the meantime, the Chiefs will have to rely on their backup quarterbacks to navigate them through the rest of what has been a disappointing season to date.
Here's what to know about Kansas City's quarterback depth chart and whether they could sign another player at the position with Mahomes out of action.
Who is the Chiefs backup quarterback?
Gardner Minshew is the Chiefs' backup quarterback. The 29-year-old was a sixth-round pick out of Washington State in the 2019 NFL Draft and has a 17-29 record across 46 NFL starts.
Minshew saw his first action as a passer in relief of Mahomes against the Chargers. He completed 3 of 5 passes for 22 yards and a game-ending interception.
Last season, Minshew logged a 2-7 record as the starter for the Las Vegas Raiders while completing 66.3% of his passes for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. For his career, Minshew has completed 63.3% of his passes for 11,972 yards, 68 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.
Chiefs QB depth chart
The Chiefs have just two healthy quarterbacks in their organization with Mahomes out for the rest of the season. Below is a look at the pecking order within that unit:
- Gardner Minshew
- Chris Oladokun (practice squad)
Oladokun was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He landed with the Chiefs ahead of the 2022 NFL season after being waived by the Steelers and is currently in his fourth season with the team.
Oladokun has never attempted a pass at the NFL level. He attempted one rush for five yards for the team during the 2024 NFL season but could be called upon to back up Minshew for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The Chiefs figure to add another quarterback to make their room three-deep. Perhaps they could sign Bailey Zappe, who spent both the 2024 and 2025 offseasons in Kansas City, from the Cleveland Browns' practice squad to accomplish that goal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chiefs QB depth chart: Impacts after Patrick Mahomes' ACL injury
