The Kansas City Chiefs are officially in the postseason following their final game on Sunday, January 4, against the Las Vegas Raiders, which they lost, 14-12.
Now, not only did the Kansas City Chiefs drop their final game of the season, but they’ve also dropped a quarterback.
Patrick Mahomes, of course, is the team’s championship-winning franchise quarterback. But, Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL and LCL injury during the team’s game against the Las Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14, so the Kansas City Chiefs have been relying on backups.
Following the Kanas City Chiefs losing Mahomes and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew to another interview, Kansas City snagged No. 3 quarterback Shane Buechele from Buffalo’s practice squad.
But, now that the Chiefs’ season is over, the team has decided to drop Buechele. On Monday, January 5, less than a day after the loss to the Raiders, Chiefs reporter Nick Jacobs shared on Monday that the Chiefs waived Buechele.
Buechele served as the backup to Chris Oladokun to close out the season. He completed 7-of-14 passes for 88 yards in the game, according to NFL research.
Now, the Kansas City Chiefs will look ahead to the 2026 NFL draft, where they have the No 9 pick. Mike Renner of CBS Sports like edge Rueben Bain Jr. out of Miami for the Chiefs.
“If Rueben Bain Jr. falls because of his arm length, the Chiefs aren’t likely to hesitate to add him to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense,” Renner notes in a Monday, Jan. 5 piece. He’s the exact type of power defensive end that Spagnuolo has loved dating back to his days as the Giants’ defensive coordinator.”
Jordan Reid of ESPN goes with Rueben Bain Jr., defensive lineman, out of Miami. “Bain’s game is all about power; he’s a heavy-handed defender who regularly overwhelms blockers at the point of attack,” Reid says in the piece. “Capable of playing 0- to 9-technique, Bain can play all over the defensive line and has flashed in big moments during Miami’s current playoff run.”
He adds that Bain “would give a boost to a Chiefs pass rush that finished with only 35 sacks in 2025, tied for 22nd in the NFL.”
