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Bills' backup QB controversy? Why isn't Shane Buechele the choice?

Shane Buechele tore it up in Preseason Week 3, but the fate he'll face is unfortunate
Owen Klein|
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida; Buffalo Bills quarterback Shane Buechele (6) calls a play in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida; Buffalo Bills quarterback Shane Buechele (6) calls a play in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills are set at the quarterback position with two backups behind reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen, but with the way Shane Buechele performed Saturday night, it's fair to wonder why the Bills will be left without his services.

In Tampa on Saturday, Buechele went 25-of-30 passing for 278 yards and an amazing touchdown throw to Tyrell Shavers, showing precision and a feel for Joe Brady's offense in the Bills' 23-19 win against the Bucs. He also went 10-of-12 passing with 91 yards in the Bills' first preseason game against the Giants, the final preseason game at the old Highmark Stadium.

It was Buechele's first-ever complete NFL game. The former Kansas City Chiefs' QB3, who signed as an undrafted rookie in 2021, has yet to take a regular season snap. The Bills obviously see some value in Buechele, keeping him in the organization for the last two years.

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Buffalo, however, has two capable backup QB options in former Pro Bowler Mitchell Trubisky and Mike White, who both signed multi-year contracts with the Bills in 2024. The contracts are the main reason why at least one of Trubisky and White will stay.

Experience also plays a role in Buechele's fate. Trubisky and White have started 57 and seven regular-season games in their careers, respectively, while Buechele hasn't even appeared in one despite winning a Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2023.

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Of course, the Bills can keep Buechele on the practice squad and call him up in case one of the three quarterbacks suffers an injury, which would all but allow him to work with the 53-man team.

The NFL Preseason can be unforgiving at times, and such is the case for Buechele, who has shown this preseason that he can be on an NFL roster as a capable backup quarterback.

Shane Buechele and Frank Gore Jr.
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida; Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore Jr. (20) celebrates with quarterback Shane Buechele (6) at Raymond James Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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Owen Klein
OWEN KLEIN

Owen Klein has covered football, basketball and baseball for Penn State athletics as a broadcaster on local radio, including producing Penn State’s 2024 men’s basketball Big Ten Tournament games and calling Penn State football’s Whiteout vs. Washington in November 2024. He has internships with the Buffalo Bisons and CBS affiliate WIVB in Buffalo, NY, in the summer of 2025. He is a Penn State University broadcast journalism student at the Bellisario College of Communications majoring in broadcast journalism and is passionate about college and professional sports, the Pokémon Video Game Championships and the Buffalo Bills.

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