Kansas City Chiefs: Future of backup quarterback position
By Chris Clark
EJ MANUEL
The Chiefs made a bit of a surprise signing fairly early in the 2019 offseason by signing former first-round draft pick, EJ Manuel. The former Florida State Seminole has had a less than productive start to his career. He certainly has the ability, but a slight knee injury and bad team scenarios seemed to have hindered the promising young star.
Manuel was the number 16 overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2013 NFL draft. Unfortunately for Manuel, his career started for a franchise that seems to be constantly trying to find their way. Add in some coaching changes and that can spell disaster for a young quarterback.
After four seasons in Buffalo, Manuel was released before spending less than two seasons with the Oakland Raiders, another team that seems to often be in flux. Manuel backed up Derek Carr in 2017 before losing that job in favor of A.J. McCarron for 2018. After a rough start to his career and sitting out nearly all of 2018, Manuel will be looking to resurrect his career with the Chiefs.
It will certainly be an uphill battle to get noticeable snaps behind Mahomes, but could he show something in the preseason under Reid’s guidance? This might be a good chance for Manuel to learn in a successful environment, improve his stock, and potentially even become a small trade value for the Chiefs.
If this were to happen, spending 2019 on the Chiefs depth chart could either give the team a solid backup with first-round talent or potentially net a later-round draft pick next offseason.