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Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz in January of 2025.
Ahead of the NFL’s 53-man roster cutdown and Week 1, former Kansas City Chiefs backup quarterback Carson Wentz resurfaced in the news.
“QB Carson Wentz is working out for the [Minnesota] Vikings today, per source,” ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry reported on August 23.
ESPN’s Vikings beat reporter Kevin Seifert then followed up, noting: “Carson Wentz spent the 2023 season with the [Los Angeles] Rams, who run an offense that is similar to the Vikings’. The Vikings went through camp with Sam Howell as QB2, and Kevin O’Connell said last night that he had improved, but…”
The “…” was meant to signify Wentz’s arrival in Minnesota at the Vikings’ facilities.
Chiefs Have Upgraded at Backup QB, Signing Gardner Minshew in Place of Carson Wentz
If the Vikings end up signing Wentz, he’ll likely take over the backup quarterback role behind second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Wentz played a similar role last season with the Chiefs, backing up Patrick Mahomes. Although most fans would probably argue that Kansas City has upgraded on that position in 2025.
Wentz started the final game of the 2024 regular season, and his performance practically sealed his fate as the Chiefs’ QB2 in 2025.
Facing the Denver Broncos, Wentz only completed 10-of-17 passing attempts for 98 yards and zero touchdowns. He was also sacked 4 times, finishing with a completion percentage of 58.8 and a passer rating of 75.1.
The Chiefs also lost that Week 18 outing by a score of 38-0.
Like Wentz, Kansas City’s new backup, Gardner Minshew, joins the Chiefs with a resume as a former starter.
During the 2025 preseason, Minshew has already been an improvement over Wentz. Minshew completed 17 of his 27 passing attempts this summer (63% completion rate), racking up 161 yards and 1 touchdown — as well as zero turnovers.
Minshew has played to a passer rating of 91.7 this preseason period.
It’s early, but if the Chiefs ever need to call upon Minshew, it certainly seems like the veteran signal-caller would be up to the task to win KC some games.
Chiefs Predicted to Keep 2 QBs at the 53-Man Roster Cutdown, & 1 Cut Is Given the Upper Hand on a Practice Squad Spot
The consensus is that the Chiefs will only keep two quarterbacks on Tuesday’s 53-man roster cutdown, and it’s hard to argue with that prediction.
Per The Athletic’s KC beat reporter Jesse Newell, Chris Oladokun and Bailey Zappe will both be cut. But he gave one reserve the upper hand over the other for the emergency practice squad role.
“No need to spend much time here,” Newell wrote. “The Chiefs were always going to carry two quarterbacks, and based on preseason action, Chris Oladokun should be the top choice for the practice squad over Bailey Zappe.”
On August 23, Chiefs Digest beat reporter Matt Derrick agreed, projecting Oladokun as the practice squad QB behind Mahomes and Minshew.
“Friday night’s game appeared to reinforce what the Chiefs learned during training camp: Oladokun is the more reliable and consistent backup,” Derrick stated. “Oladokun’s decision-making and awareness are superior to Zappe’s, and he also possesses a strong arm. It’s a perk that he’s a hard worker who gives maximum effort and has been a valuable scout team quarterback. Every team could use a guy like Oladokun.”
We’ll see if the Chiefs agree with the assessments of these two KC beat reporters.
Michael Obermuller covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. Michael is an NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate. More about Michael Obermuller
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