The Kansas City Chiefs are sorting out a backup quarterback race that now centers on Garrett Nussmeier, the seventh-round pick they drafted last April, and Justin Fields. The winner of that competition could be first in line behind Patrick Mahomes if the starter is not ready when Week 1 arrives.
That is why Nussmeier’s name is drawing attention now. He was taken after his stock slipped, and he enters preseason with a clear chance to turn a late-round selection into a roster role. Fields arrived back in March after a minor trade with the New York Jets, giving the Chiefs a second contender with a different resume and a different set of questions.
For Nussmeier, the path to this moment runs through LSU, where he was once viewed as a top option for the 2026 quarterback class before last year changed the picture. LSU struggled mightily on offense, he dealt with an injury that eventually took him out of the lineup, and his draft stock tumbled enough that he lasted until round seven despite the natural skills that had once made him look like a much earlier pick.
That slide is part of what makes this preseason battle worth watching. Nussmeier still has to prove he can carry those traits into a pro offense, but he also enters with the kind of upside that a late-round quarterback room rarely offers. The Chiefs drafted him knowing he had shown he would keep fighting until he was forced off the field in his final run at LSU.
Fields gives the competition a different edge, and not all of it works in his favor. He has not found steady passing prowess in the NFL, and plenty of balls have sailed on him. Those misses have cost him chances in tight games, which is why the passing part of his game remains the main question even as he competes for the same job.
Chris Oladokun is still in camp, too, after starting at the end of last season while Mahomes was out. That leaves the Chiefs with three preseason games to sort the backup role, a short runway that matters because Mahomes is coming off a knee injury and has worked hard to be in position for a return in Week 1.
The job is not decided by reputation, and it is not decided by what either quarterback did last year. It will come down to who shows enough in August to be trusted if Kansas City needs a stand-in behind Mahomes, and right now Nussmeier has the cleaner chance to turn a draft-day afterthought into the answer the Chiefs need.
