The Kansas City Chiefs learned their lesson last season when Patrick Mahomes went down, and the franchise was forced to turn to its backup options. Gardner Minshew's quick offseason departure made the Chiefs' second option at the position all the more important. Saturday's preseason opener served as a reminder of this as Justin Fields stepped in and was the adult in the room, doing exactly what you expect an experienced starter to do with preseason reps.
Fields was 4/4 passing for 41 yards and adding in nine on the ground in what was a clear sign that the Chiefs have upgraded behind Mahomes. This is where it is important to note that the gap between Fields and Mahomes is incredible, and this is in no way to suggest the backup gives the franchise a chance to keep the dynasty alive if turned to for a full season.
Rather, it is pointing out the clear upgrade in comparison to last season and appreciating the puncher's chance Fields gives the Chiefs if Mahomes were forced to miss a game or a handful of snaps. Fields can make all of the needed throws and has always been electric as a runner, leaving Chiefs fans with every reason for excitement that they have greatly improved their depth.
Chiefs preseason opener shows Justin Fields is an undeniable upgrade behind Patrick Mahomes
Historically, Mahomes has been incredibly durable, leaving little reason to believe Fields is going to get a chance to step into the lineup, especially with Mahomes' faster-than-normal ACL recovery. Still, it is nice to have the positional depth and a level of stability that was clearly missing a season ago. It will be interesting to watch as well if Eric Bieniemy and Andy Reid opt to create any specific packages for Fields in an effort to utilize his speed and ability to make defenders miss.
Taking this a step further, Fields wasn't the only quarterback to have a solid day. Rookie Garrett Nussmeier finished 13/19 for 98 yards and had a handful of nice moments. While there were rookie moments as well, it was as solid a start as fans could reasonably hope for when considering that the seventh-round signal caller is a project quarterback competing for the final roster spot at the position.
Kansas City was given a clear case that it should be Nussmeier holding onto the emergency quarterback role developing behind the scenes as Mahomes and Fields are relied on as the primary answers. Chris Oladokun made this opinion easy to defend, completing 5/11 for 63 yards, not looking nearly as capable as the first two quarterbacks off the KC bench.
There is no debating that the Chiefs have significantly upgraded the position and given themselves a great chance to survive any potential short-term injury. While the added depth is nice to have, the hope is the franchise will never be forced to test it.
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