Arrowhead Pride
To say that the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun has experienced a whirlwind December would be an understatement.
Oladokun opened the month on Kansas City’s practice squad, where he has spent much of the past four seasons. After quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Oladokun was signed to the active roster on December 20 — one day before the Chiefs hosted the Tennessee Titans in Week 16.
In that game, Oladokun was thrust into action after backup quarterback Gardner Minshew suffered a season-ending knee injury. He then had a short week to prepare for his first career start — a Christmas Day matchup against the Denver Broncos on “Thursday Night Football.”
Speaking before Wednesday’s practice, Oladokun said he appreciated having a full week to prepare for the Chiefs’ season finale on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“[I’m] definitely getting on more of the same page with all the receivers and stuff like that,” he remarked, “and really just dialing into the playbook. When you have that short week, you’re sort of just cramming everything into 24 hours to get [it] down. So to have a full week is going to be great.”
Head coach Andy Reid noted Wednesday that Oladokun has shown steady improvement since stepping into the starting role.
“I think every day that he has an opportunity to do it, he’s better at it,” the coach observed. “We went through the walkthrough, gave him a new load here to pick up, and he handled that — the verbal part.”
“He’s been awesome,” center Creed Humphrey said of the third-string quarterback. “Chris is a great player and a great teammate. So seeing him get this opportunity has been awesome, and he’s made some great plays.
“He’s done a great job coming in every day, being a good leader for this team, focusing on making sure he’s ready for Sunday — or Thursday, last week — but just making sure he’s ready to roll. He’s been awesome with it — and he’s not someone [who is] taking it for granted. He’s coming in [and] putting his best foot forward every day.”
Although Sunday will mark just his fourth career regular-season appearance, Oladokun has been with the Chiefs since 2022. While he has spent much of that time preparing in meetings, he is now readjusting to the physical demands of quarterback play.
“Physically, it definitely feels different,” Oladokun noted of his current role. “I’m actually out there breaking a sweat a little bit, so that’s definitely different. Even in the meeting rooms, I’ve always prepared like any play I can play, so my preparation hasn’t changed from that standpoint. But physically, you’re definitely taking all the reps, and you’re in there.”
Despite limited game experience, Oladokun believes his years in Kansas City — working alongside Mahomes, Reid, Matt Nagy and Travis Kelce — have prepared him for this moment.
“If I look back,” he pondered, “if I was...
