Kansas City Chiefs first round draft pick Patrick Mahomes was impressive in his first preseason appearance this past weekend. The former Texas Tech gunslinger went 7/9 for 49 yards and a touchdown. He also had his very first pass attempt, a 40-yard connection downfield wiped out by a holding penalty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNNeEuOlBKM
The performance warranted a bit of a promotion. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid announced that Mahomes would have the opportunity to start leading the backup offense in practice.
“We are going to give Patrick a chance to work with the twos like Tyler has had here the last couple of weeks,” said Reid to KMBC News 9. “It is not because of Tyler’s performance in the game. I think he actually played very well and Patrick did a nice job too. It gives him an opportunity to step up and work with that second group and see what he can do there.”
Reid stopped short of solidifying Mahomes as the permanent backup moving forward, but the writing appears to be on the wall. Barring Mahomes being unable to pick up the offense, top 10 draft choices are rarely relegated to third string.
And while he’s impressed early, it’s still unlikely that Mahomes will become the starter this season. With Alex Smith at the helm, the Chiefs have consistently contended for a spot in the playoffs. Rarely do rookie quarterbacks lead a team to the postseason, though there are notable exceptions.
For now, the plan seems to be to allow for Mahomes to gain quality reps with the backup offense in practice and continue to see significant playing time in the preseason. Perhaps he’ll have an opportunity to run a few drives with the starting offense in one of the final preseason games. Short of being thrust into the lineup due to an injury to Alex Smith, solidifying himself as the backup and earning the reps that go along with that might be the best experience for Mahomes in his rookie season.
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