91 Buffalo Bills players in 91 days: QB Shane Buechele

The Buffalo Bills have traditionally kept two active quarterbacks under head coach Sean McDermott. The only time I really remember the team having three active quarterbacks was during the 2017 season, when Joe Webb was playing special teams. While he could have made a big impact in a snowy game, more often than not the Bills only have two active quarterbacks.

During the 2018 season, for example, Buffalo had rookie Josh Allen along with Nathan Peterman and Derek Anderson. However, since Allen’s ascension into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks, the Bills have tended to use an extra spot on the 53-man roster elsewhere.

Could this change in 2024? On today’s episode of “91 Players in 91 Days,” we feature the man fighting for that third QB spot on the roster.

Name: Shane Buechele

Number: 6

Position: QB

Size weight: 6′, 210 pounds

Age: 26 (27 on January 8, 2025)

Experience/Project: 3; signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a UDFA after the 2021 NFL Draft

College: EMS

Acquired: Signed with Bills on August 31, 2023 following his release by the Chiefs

Financial situation (by Spotrac): Buechele signed a reserve/futures deal with Buffalo on 01/24/2024. It’s a one-year contract worth a total of $1.025 million, with $40,000 guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus. The total contract amount also represents the cap charge Buechele carries if he makes the roster, and the signing bonus represents the dead cap charge the Bills will carry if they release him.

2023 summary: Buechele spent the preseason with the Chiefs and appeared in all three of Kansas City’s exhibition contests. He completed 29 of 45 passes for 349 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in those games. He added two rushing attempts for 14 yards and a touchdown. He was released by the Chiefs as part of their latest roster cut on August 29, 2023, and he signed with Buffalo’s practice squad two days later. He remained on the practice squad for the entire season.

Positioning prospects: Buechele is the clear third of three quarterbacks on the roster, while Josh Allen sits atop the depth chart, followed by Mitchell Trubisky.

2024 offseason: Buechele is healthy and has participated in OTAs.

Outlook for the 2024 season: It’s extremely unlikely Buechele takes a regular season snap for the Bills, and if he does, it means something has gone horribly wrong. Buechele is also highly unlikely to make the 53-man roster given the team’s preference for a two-man room with a third QB on the practice squad. In all likelihood, this is the position on the practice squad that Buechele is looking to keep.