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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Kansas City Chiefs made a big investment in their quarterback room after Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending injury, landing veteran Justin Fields in a trade.
Though it appears the Chiefs may not need Fields to suit up as Mahomes remains on a steady path back to the field, one NFL analyst believes the team would be in solid hands with Fields
SI.com’s Gilberto Manzano ranked all of the NFL’s backup quarterbacks, putting Fields at No. 8. Though he noted Fields has had some issues with accuracy in the past, he believes the Chiefs will be the best situation for him.
“Fields has been an erratic passer since entering the league as a 2021 first-round pick of the Bears, but he’s also never been coached by the innovative Andy Reid,” Manzano wrote.”
Manzano added that the Chiefs would be comfortable playing Fields if Mahomes happens to take longer than expected returning from a torn ACL that cut short his 2025 season.
“If it turns out that the Chiefs need Fields early in the season to give Patrick Mahomes more time to make a full recovery from his knee injury—though it’s not looking that way with Mahomes participating in OTAs—that could be the ideal scenario for Fields to show what he can do with a strong supporting cast,” Manzano wrote. “He didn’t have that in Chicago to start his career or with the Jets last year, and let’s not forget that coach Mike Tomlin was pretty set on giving Russell Wilson the starting job in Pittsburgh when he returned to health.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
