Many NFL teams are barely playing their starting quarterbacks during preseason, if at all. The exceptions are generally limited to quarterbacks who are competing for the starting job, but those entrenched in their roles aren’t getting many in-game reps.
The exception to this is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes played 33 snaps in the Chiefs’ second preseason game against Arizona, a huge amount for a starting quarterback, especially one coming off an offseason toe surgery.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who has always favored playing quarterbacks regularly during preseason, said the biggest reason behind Mahomes’ workload is a desire for both Mahomes and the offensive line to get used to each other.
“I think it’s good for Pat, but I also think it’s good for the offensive line and Pat to see how that’s going to work and get a feel for them, and for them to get a feel for him likewise,” Reid said Monday, via Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports. “We’ve got some young guys, so I left them in with Chad (Henne) so they could get a little bit more extended work there. We’ve got two veterans on the left side, but all five of them are new, so you need to play and this gives us that opportunity.”
Reid raises a good point. The Chiefs have completely overhauled their offensive line, which struggled down the stretch in 2020. The team parted ways with just about the entire line and brought in the likes of Orlando Brown Jr. and Joe Thuney, as well as rookie Creed Humphrey, to reinforce things. It may work, but Mahomes needs to gain familiarity with them and vice versa. That’s as good a reason as any to give them all extended reps in preseason.
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