When Gardner Minshew exited Sunday’s game, a tight end was Chiefs’ backup QB?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs lost Gardner Minshew to a knee injury; Chris Oladokun replaced him.
- Social media speculated Travis Kelce as emergency QB before Chiefs named Noah Gray.
- Noah Gray, a former high school quarterback, served as the Chiefs’ emergency option.
Fans weren’t expecting much from the Chiefs during Sunday’s Week 16 NFL game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, but they somehow managed to underachieve in the first quarter.
The Chiefs had a mere 29 yards of offense in the opening period ... and quarterback Gardner Minshew had a slight limp after taking a hit at the end of a rush.
Minshew wouldn’t make it to halftime, as he left the game because of a knee injury.
Chris Oladokun replaced Minshew, who had replaced Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a season-ending knee injury a week earlier.
Who would be the quarterback if Oladokun went down? Many people on social media speculated it could be tight end Travis Kelce. He had been identified before this season as an emergency quarterback option for the Chiefs.
Before switching to tight end at the University of Cincinnati, Kelce was a quarterback.
CBS Sports sideline reporter Melanie Collins said a tight end would be the Chiefs’ emergency quarterback. But it was Noah Gray, not Kelce.
Gray played quarterback at Leominster Senior High School in Massachusetts, as the Chiefs’ website noted.
The Chiefs undoubtedly hoped that Gray wouldn’t have to take a snap.
This story was originally published December 21, 2025 at 1:37 PM with the headline "When Gardner Minshew exited Sunday’s game, a tight end was Chiefs’ backup QB?."
