Kansas City Chiefs: Top 3 realistic backup quarterback options

Looking at the top realistic backup quarterback options for the Kansas City Chiefs to play behind Patrick Mahomes in 2018.

As soon as the league year begins in mid-March, the Kansas City Chiefs will officially trade quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins. With Smith out of the picture, the Patrick Mahomes era is here.

The Chiefs made a big play for Mahomes, trading up and selecting him with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. While Mahomes entered the league as an extremely raw quarterback prospect, his big arm and natural play-making ability makes him an incredibly intriguing player. His impressive performance in the Chiefs’ Week 17 victory over the Denver Broncos grew the legend of Mahomes.

Mahomes is an incredibly talented player who Chiefs’ fans should be excited about. However, he is still a raw talent with some serious downside. I fully expect Mahomes to play well in his first season as a starting quarterback in 2018, but that is far from guaranteed. Trading Smith was undoubtedly the right move, but it takes away the Chiefs’ security at the quarterback position. Simply put, Smith had a much-higher floor than Mahomes.

With Smith gone, the Chiefs would be wise to find a safe, veteran backup quarterback to pair with their exciting young franchise quarterback. In this post, we are going to look at the top available options.

I would not completely rule out the Chiefs drafting a quarterback prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft, but that player would likely be a developmental player, not an immediate backup.

Finding a competent backup to Mahomes is an incredibly important part of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason. Who are the best specific options for this team? Let’s take a look.