The Kansas City Chiefs' offense will be led by Patrick Mahomes during the 2026 campaign as soon as he is capable of doing so. This much KC Kingdom knows, without question. Just when that will be, however, is nowhere near as clear, leaving some real questions about what the rest of the QB room will look like this fall.
Conventional wisdom would have one believe Kansas City would have sought out a veteran backup who resembles the mold of a Mahomes. As they quickly realized, that player doesn't exist, leaving the Chiefs to trade for Justin Fields, effectively forcing defenses to prepare for the polar opposite of what Mahomes brings to the table.
With Fields seemingly locked in as the odds-on favorite to handle QB2 duties to start training camp, just what Kansas City does with fellow quarterbacks Jake Haener, another free agent addition, and Chris Oladokun, a holdover from the 2025 campaign who struggled to close the regular season, remains to be seen.
Competition in QB Room Gives Chiefs Reason to Move on From Oladokun
While he may hang on long enough to be an extra arm during the offseason program and training camp, there is little reason to think that Oladokun should be on the roster, in any capacity, once final cuts are made and Kansas City enters the season. Fields is unquestionably a better option. This leaves Oladokun left to battle it out with Haener or a potential draft pick for, essentially, a spot on the practice squad as the team's emergency QB.
Given that this is a similar role to what Oladokun held during the 2025 campaign, he may have an early leg up on Haener in their competition. That guarantees him nothing moving forward, however, and it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if Andy Reid and the Chiefs' front office brass believe that they've seen the best Oladokun has to offer, and think another option could provide more upside at the bottom of the depth chart.
After compiling a stat line of 11-for-17 passes for 58 yards in a meaningless late-season game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Oladokun was ultimately benched in favor of third-string quarterback Shane Buechele. If things were going so badly that Reid and the coaching staff felt that sitting Oladokun down in the regular season finale was the appropriate move, there is little reason to think that they will have trust in him taking the field in games that matter.
With Mahomes returning, eventually, and Fields set to hold down the No. 2 spot on the depth chart as long as he remains healthy, the reasons to believe Oladokun could be part of this roster again in 2026 are growing fewer and farther between with every passing day.