Tag: Shane Buechele

2024 NFL Draft: Legendary kicker Robbie Gould on his experience as an undrafted player

Legendary kicker Robbie Gould told #Chiefs Wire’s @EdEastonJr about his experience as an undrafted player during a recent interview

The NFL Draft has been essential for the Kansas City Chiefs during their run of success. Over the years, many of the Chiefs’ draft picks have contributed to their Super Bowl titles, but the franchise also has multiple undrafted free agents.

The Chiefs have struck gold with undrafted free agents, like former players Tommy Townsend, Shane Buechele, and Jody Fortson. Tershawn Wharton is still a significant contributor to the defensive line.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. sat down recently with Chicago Bears great and former 18-year kicker Robbie Gould to discuss his thoughts on going undrafted, which motivated him to a successful career.

“It doesn’t matter when your name gets called or if it doesn’t get called at all,” Gould explained. “It’s all about just getting an opportunity. So some of these guys, sometimes if you go on the later rounds, it’s not even a great spot for you because it might not be a perfect fit for that kid. So to me, it’s if you get an opportunity, whether it be by draft or whether it be a free agent tryout or whether it’s a free agency period for the offseason.”

Former Kansas State defensive back Ekow Boye-Doe was a recent example of overcoming the odds and making the Chiefs’ active roster midway through the 2023 season. As an undrafted free agent, Boye-Doe was cut after training camp but retained on the practice squad and eventually earned playing time due to injuries in Kansas City’s secondary.

“It’s just taking advantage of [the opportunity] and showcasing what you can do and that even though you miss, you can bounce back, and the reality is to compete,” Gould continued. “That’s what you’re [going to] do. If you’re getting drafted, you’re going to compete with somebody, whether it’s yourself or somebody on the roster. You’re competing for that job.

“I was an undrafted guy, so I was just hungrier to make the roster cut a few times. It made me work harder. Sometimes, it’s all about everyone having their own journey, and [enjoying] it. Know that there [are] ups and downs, and hopefully, what you put into it is what you get out of it.”

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach constantly monitors the free agent market in the days after the draft, proving it doesn’t always matter if your name is called.

At the end of the day, players only need to contribute to their team to carve out a role for themselves in the NFL.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes loses March Madness bet to Shane Buechele

Patrick Mahomes lost a March Madness bet to former #Chiefs backup QB Shane Buechele.

The annual NCAA basketball tournaments are underway for the best men’s and women’s teams nationwide. March Madness brackets are filled out to predict next month’s national champions while proud alums seek bragging rights.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is an avid fan of many sports besides football, so it’s no surprise that he is tuned into all the action. This year, his 6th-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders were in the tournament but were upset by the 12th-seeded North Carolina State Wolfpack in the first round.

The 80-67 defeat had more on the line for Mahomes than just his support, as the three-time Super Bowl champion posted an interesting photo on his Instagram account in response to the game.

Mahomes posted himself over the weekend wearing a cow costume with the caption, “A bets a bet… okay cool #Hookem,” said Mahomes in his Instagram story caption.

He tagged former Chiefs backup quarterback Shane Buechele in the story, indicating there was a bet between the two on which team would go further in the tournament.

Buechele’s alma mater, the Texas Longhorns, advanced to the second round of the tournament but was eventually eliminated by Tennessee on Saturday. Buechele joined the Buffalo Bills last season after being waived by Kansas City on the final cut day before the 2023 season.

Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Team connections

Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Team connections:

The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs will do battle in the AFC postseason once again. This time, the battle will be in the Divisional round.

The stakes will be high for everyone.

But for some on the Bills (11-6) and Chiefs (11-6) there is a bit more on the line than others.

That’s because multiple players and coaches for both sides are going to be playing against their former teams. That can create a little bit of extra motivation for them heading into Sunday.

With that, here’s a quick list of connections the two teams have with one another ahead of the upcoming matchup at Highmark Stadium:

Mitch Morse, Shane Buechele reflect on playing alongside both Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes

They know both guys better than most:

Only a select few people know what it’s like to play alongside either Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen or Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.

Even fewer know what it’s like to be teammates with both.

Buffalo (6-6) heads to Kansas City (8-4) on Sunday for an important Week 14 matchup. Of all the players on the two teams, only two know have been teammates of both Allen and Mahomes — and they both play on the Bills and both played very close roles with the pair.

Center Mitch Morse knows them both better than almost anybody else does. Morse signed in Buffalo as a free agent after having played with Mahomes during his breakout season in 2018. Since then, he’s played five years with Allen.

“Both guys are extremely competitive and willing to lay their body on the line for the betterment of the team and winning games,” Morse said.

In fact, he only thinks there’s one real difference between them.

“One plays in Kansas City and one plays in Buffalo,” Morse said.

Another interesting connection between the two players comes from behind the scenes. Kyle Allen is Buffalo’s backup quarterback. Shane Buechele is the de facto No. 3 quarterback on the practice squad. Buechele held that same role in Kansas City before signing with Buffalo’s practice squad this season.

“A lot of people see the physical things on the field, the way [Mahomes] gets away from pressures, obviously all the crazy throws, but people don’t realize how much work he puts in behind the scenes,” Buechele told the Bills’ website.

“Super talented guy and a great dude, a great teammate. And so the way [Allen] prepares too is different, and he does it the right way. And so just learning different things from both of those guys has really helped my game out for sure,” Buechele added.

For more from Morse on the two top QBs, see the attached Bills Live clip below:

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Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs: Team connections

Only a few this week:

The Buffalo Bills will travel to the Kansas City Chiefs for a matchup on Sunday at 4:25 p.m.

It’s a brand new NFL weekend with plenty on the line for both teams. But for some on the Bills (6-6) and Chiefs (8-4) there is a bit more on the line than others.

That’s because multiple players and coaches for both sides are going to be playing against their former teams. That can create a little bit of extra motivation for them heading into Sunday.

With that, here’s a quick list of connections the two teams have with one another ahead of the upcoming matchup at Arrowhead Stadium:

Former Chiefs QB Shane Buechele signs practice squad contract with the Bills

Former #Chiefs QB Shane Buechele signs practice squad contract with the Bills | from: @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs surprised many fans who expected to see Shane Buechele remain with the team after the roster was trimmed to 53 on Tuesday. A decision that opened the quarterback to the other 31 teams in the league for an opportunity.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Buechele has signed a practice squad contract with the Buffalo Bills. The deal was announced a day after Chiefs general manager Brett Veach wished Buechele well after deciding to keep Chris Oladokun as the team’s third-string quarterback. Buechele played well through the first two preseason games but fell flat in the finale against the Cleveland Browns, highlighted by two interceptions as the starter.

The Chiefs coaching staff decided to move forward with a seasoned veteran in Blaine Gabbert, who played exceptionally well throughout the preseason games. Buechele gets a fresh start in Buffalo on their practice squad as the Chiefs turn the page and prepare for the beginning of a new season next week.

Bills sign LB Christian Kirksey, QB Shane Buechele

#Bills sign LB Christian Kirksey, QB Shane Buechele:

The Buffalo Bills signed LB Christian Kirksey and QB Shane Buechele to the practice squad completing their 16-man practice squad to begin the 2023 season.

Kirksey, who turned 31 on Thursday, was a surprise cut by the Houston Texans this week. He was third on the team with 124 tackles in 17 games last season. He was in Cleveland for six seasons, Green Bay for one and spent the last two in Houston. His career totals: 778 tackles, 16.5 sacks and seven interceptions.

Kirksey spent the last two seasons with the Texans and has previously played for the Packers and Browns. He started all 17 games for the Texans last season and should have a good chance of getting called up to the active roster and getting some playing time in Buffalo.

With Matt Barkley on injured reserve, the Bills have only Kyle Allen behind starting quarterback Josh Allen. Buechele will be the third man in the quarterback room.

Kirksey, a former linebacker for the Texans, has started in 29 games since 2021 and has experience playing both middle linebacker and outside linebacker. He is from St. Louis, MO and is going into his 10th NFL season.

Buechele spent the last two years with the Chiefs, who signed him as an undrafted rookie out of SMU in 2021. He has never appeared in a regular-season game but showed some promise in the preseason this year.

Buechele joins the Bills after spending the last two seasons with the Chiefs. The former SMU QB had a solid preseason showing for KC, throwing for 349 yards and three touchdowns with a 64.4% completion rate in three games.

Kirksey will wear No. 55 and Buechele will wear No. 6.

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Chiefs GM Brett Veach reveals status of QB Shane Buechele

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach revealed the status of quarterback Shane Buechele in comments to the media on Wednesday. | from: @EdEastonJr

On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs made a flurry of moves to accommodate the 53-man roster limit deadline. The parting ways with several players that helped play roles on the team over the last few seasons were brutal for fans but even tougher for the front office in charge of making the decisions.

Chiefs’ general manager, Brett Veach, is charged with making the big personnel decisions for the franchise and was faced with the tough call not to retain backup quarterback Shane Buechele following an improved preseason performance. He spoke with reporters on Wednesday for a press conference to explain the critical decision.

“Yeah, that was a tough one,” Veach said of his decision to cut the former SMU Mustang. “We’ve gone in different directions in different years. We just try to keep some young guys, too; it’s difficult. You do try to project some guys that you can get in the practice squad and, you know, keep in six linebackers with something that is a little bit of an oddity in some regards.

“Still, when you have these young guys that are likely to be gone, you want to see that through. I think sometimes you have to make tough decisions. Obviously, Shane is a good football player. And you know, we love having him around. You know, certainly gonna miss him.”

Buechele played well in the first two preseason games but struggled with two interceptions as the starter for last Saturday’s preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns.

“It was just one of those things where at the end of the day, we always say this all the guys at the end of the day, like make our jobs easy and put it on tape, and that’s where Blaine (Gabbert) came out and won the job,” Veach continued. “It doesn’t make it any easier because I think there was a lot of trust and belief in Shane Buechele and loved him as a player but it wasn’t an easy decision. I think just from a roster management standpoint, and trying to navigate through the D-Line and (Charles) Omenihu suspension and wanting some extra corners because they’re young. They’re just sometimes rostered. As soon as Yeah, decisions you have to make. And that was what we felt was best at this time.”

Buechele finished the preseason and quite possibly his Chiefs career with 349 passing yards, three touchdowns, and as many interceptions.

Chiefs release QB Shane Buechele after standout preseason

The #Chiefs released quarterback Shane Buechele on Tuesday as they trimmed their roster to 53 players.

Shane Buechele’s time with the Kansas City Chiefs came to an end on Tuesday when the team parted ways with the third-year quarterback.

The move came after Buechele put together an impressive preseason as Kansas City’s third-string signal caller, which may have earned him an opportunity to compete elsewhere in 2023.

While Buechele’s performances in the Chiefs’ exhibition games in August were commendable, it seems that Kansas City’s front office valued veteran Blaine Gabbert’s experience more than the former SMU Mustang’s potential.

The Chiefs’ decision to move on from Buechele is somewhat surprising given his production in the preseason but is a clear indication that the team is comfortable with Gabbert as Patrick Mahomes’ backup.

Expect Buechele to catch on with a team that has a pressing need for a promising backup quarterback in the coming days, or for him to land on Kansas City’s practice squad if no new deal materializes by the end of the week.

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Andy Reid on performance of Chiefs QBs vs. Browns: ‘Obviously, too many turnovers’

Andy Reid made it clear that the turnovers surrendered by the #Chiefs’ backup quarterbacks against the #Browns were unacceptable.

The Kansas City Chiefs won their final preseason matchup by the skin of their teeth, coming back from a 19-point deficit against the Cleveland Browns to secure victory on a blocked kick late in the fourth quarter.

The team was put in a difficult position early in the game when backup quarterbacks Shane Buechele and Blaine Gabbert both threw interceptions that turned into points for the Browns’ defense.

Head coach Andy Reid was asked about the performances of his second and third-string quarterbacks after the game, and didn’t seem too concerned by their turnovers.

“I saw some good things,” Reid said of their outings. “[There are] a couple things we need to work on. We had obviously too many turnovers and they cost us points so you can’t have that – for sure. But there were some good
things in there, too.”

While neither quarterback is at serious risk of being cut by the team this week, Reid is sure to emphasize the importance of ball security as the Chiefs approach their regular season kickoff against the Detroit Lions in September.