Chiefs HC Andy Reid Pleased With Garrett Nussmeier’s ‘Invaluable’ Experience in First NFL Start

Seventh-round draft pick Garrett Nussmeier had as much to lose as anybody on the Kansas City Chiefs when training camp began last month. Now, he's looking to compete with Justin Fields for the backup job behind Patrick Mahomes.

While his roster spot isn't entirely secure with cuts for the 53-man roster looming, the former LSU signal-caller did everything he could to make his case. He performed well in K.C.'s first two preseason contests and got the ball for all four quarters in the exhibition finale last night, making his first NFL start under center.

After the wonky 9-9 tie in Arrowhead Stadium, head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media for his postgame press conference. He believes the experience Nussmeier and the rest of the Chiefs' youngsters gained was incredibly important for their development.

"That's invaluable time for him. Because he had to go through the whole thing, the prep for the game," Reid said about Nussmeier's performance. "He had to go through the ups and downs of a game. He had the interception, and then he rallied back and came through and did some nice things."

Nussmeier stayed in the game from the opening kickoff until the final whistle, which is rare for a quarterback during the preseason. It was a unique situation with fourth-stringer Chris Oladokun inactive due to a concussion, but the point still stands nonetheless.

"I thought he handled things right," Reid continued. "He had a chance to see a few blitzes in there, which I thought he handled well and showed composure with those. And then, something as simple as making the halftime adjustments, he was able to go through that and work through what really takes place there and reach into that next half."

After throwing an interception to former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs on the second drive of the night, Chiefs fans held their breath. One bad play can easily snowball for a rookie, especially in his first NFL start.

Instead of letting the mistake rattle him, Nussmeier stayed composed and made some excellent throws afterward. It would be his first and only turnover of the preseason slate.

Across his first three appearances in the pros, Nussmeier finished with 370 passing yards, one interception, and no touchdowns with a 62.8% completion percentage. Though those numbers are modest, he did everything a rookie quarterback needed to do ― in particular, limit mistakes and properly read defenses.

He technically isn't a "lock" to make the Week 1 roster since the Chiefs can choose to employ a two-quarterback approach, but then K.C. would be exposing him to the NFL waiver wire. At the very least, Nussmeier's performance over the past few weeks makes that a difficult decision for general manager Brett Veach.

Regardless of what transpires in the next 36 hours, Nussmeier is glad he was able to experience a taste of NFL action and believes he learned a lot.

"I thought there was a lot of learning experiences out there. I thought I made some plays, and obviously there are some things I want back," Nussmeier said in the locker room. "Just being able to be out there and play a full game, get into the flow and feel the ups and downs. It was awesome."

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