Patrick Mahomes' Playing Status, Chiefs' QB Plan for Preseason Game vs. Bucs Revealed

Andy Reid revealed whether Patrick Mahomes will play against the Bucs, as well as what KC's QB plan is as a whole.

Jul 29, 2026; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks to media after training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The conclusion of training camp means the Kansas City Chiefs' second of three preseason games is on the horizon, and the team is heading back into town just in time to hit the road for Saturday's showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the final practice of the week, however, there remained one big-time question.

After sitting out last weekend's bout with the Los Angeles Rams, would quarterback Patrick Mahomes return to the field this time around?

The two-time MVP has made tremendous progress as he works his way back from a torn ACL and LCL in his knee, including participating fully in camp workouts with his teammates. Despite that, head coach Andy Reid held him out of preseason game No. 1. The same trend will persist in the second contest of August for KC.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Reid ruled out Mahomes and also dove into the rest of his quarterback plan. It'll be backup Justin Fields getting the start, followed by rookie seventh-round pick Garrett Nussmeier and veteran Chris Oladokun.

"The way the quarterbacks will play this week, we'll go a quarter and a half with Justin, a quarter and a half with Garrett and Chris will take the fourth quarter," Reid said. "It'll be somewhere in that area. Don't hold me to the play on that, but going in, that's a rough itinerary. The rest of the guys will follow that schedule."

This appears to be a variation of the playing time distribution Reid unleashed against Los Angeles. Fields got the first quarter of action, playing just two drives and completing all four of his pass attempts before giving way to Nussmeier. The LSU product then thrived for the most part, playing 41 snaps and having his afternoon last one snap into the fourth quarter.

Oladkoun, who has the most experience in Kansas City's system of any non-Mahomes quarterback on the roster, went 5-for-11 with 63 passing yards in the fourth quarter. He also toted the ball three times for 27 yards, which those in Chiefs circles have grown to expect after watching him in recent preseasons.

It remains to be seen what Reid's plan is for August 28's finale back at home versus the Seattle Seahawks, but it could go a long way towards figuring out how many quarterbacks are kept on the team — and which ones make the cut. Fields is a stone-cold lock, surely, yet it's unclear just how much Nussmeier's case was boosted by his unofficial debut.

With the organization focused on having Mahomes ready for Week 1 of the regular season, his absence is affording Reid a long look at those understudies.

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