ORCHARD PARK — The visitor’s locker room in Arrowhead Stadium was silent, save for the pitter-patter of feet and equipment being lugged away.
Only two players remained, sitting in the far corner of the room. Quarterback Josh Allen was still wearing half his uniform by the time the rest of his teammates had showered, dressed and headed for the team bus.
Allen seemed to be struggling to process how the Buffalo Bills could fall to the Kansas City Chiefs … again. The Bills had a chance to drive a stake through the heart of their soul-sucking nemesis, but instead returned to the locker room three points shy of a Super Bowl berth.
Sitting next to Allen, just as quietly, was reserve quarterback Shane Buechele, who hadn’t played all year after sustaining a broken neck during the preseason. But if you look for Allen, Buechele typically isn’t far behind.
Since signing to the practice squad in 2023, Buechele has become Allen’s right-hand man within the team. Aside from quarterback, Buechele holds a number of roles for the NFL MVP, from friend to teammate to coach to confidant.
The two have grown close over the last year, an experience that led Buechele to settle on a coaching career once his quarterback options are exhausted. But Buechele has one preseason game standing in the way of final cuts Tuesday, when he will learn whether his playing days will persist or if it’s time to start a second career.
“You can’t let your mind go there,” Buechele told GNN Sports. “It’s hard not to think about it, but, man, I’m going to be here until the wheels fall off and I’m hoping it’s 10 more years. … I’m just excited to see what the future holds. But right now, I’m focused on the Buccaneers and trying to beat them.”
After spending 2023 with the Bills, they only carried three during training camp last year. His path to the practice squad seemed clear and he was going to get a heavy workload during the preseason, especially after backup Mitchell Trubisky injured his knee.
But in the preseason opener, Buechele fractured his spine from C1 to T2, which spans from the top of his spine where the cervical nerves reside to the top of where his thoracic nerves are. Buechele was placed on injured reserve and briefly wondered what was next.
And then the Bills presented him with some options. He could have accepted an injury settlement that would have allowed him to sign with another team when healthy — a common choice for players with nagging injuries — or he could stay on IR and rehab on the team’s dime.
Buechele opted to stay on injured reserve and the two sides agreed on a unique role within the team. Players on season-ending IR aren’t often seen in the locker room after practice or after games.
But Buechele attended every practice and every game, acting as an assistant to quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry. Over the years, Buechele waffled on pursuing a coaching career. But last season’s hybrid cemented his desire to become a coach.
“He just has a great bedside manner,” Curry said. “He sees the game easy and he’s coachable. And I think he’s great for Josh, being the caddy in the room. And he’s great for me just to bounce stuff off of him. If he wants to do coaching one day, I’m pretty sure he’ll excel at it.”
It wasn’t until the 2024 offseason program that Allen truly started seeking Buechele’s opinions, knowing they were going to be unfiltered. It’s a similar relationship to what Allen had with Davis Webb, who was on Buffalo’s practice squad from 2019-2021, and now works as the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach and is considered one of the hot coaching prospects in the NFL.
Gaining Allen’s trust comes from Buechele learning what Allen needs — it’s not a coincidence Curry calls Buechele Allen’s caddy. Buechele knows he doesn’t need to lecture Allen about scrambling or decision-making, but he can offer opinions on coverages, and when he’s correct enough times, Allen can keep asking questions.
“The knowledge he has of the game, it’s very beneficial for me,” Allen said. “It’s helpful that he sees the game very similarly to the way that I see the game. We’re able to bounce ideas back and forth and he’s been a huge help in that room.”
Before being an advisor to Allen, Buechele held the same role for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs for two seasons. Buechele and Mahomes grew up in Texas and went to colleges in Texas, developing a relationship along the way.
Teams with a star quarterback often search for backups — specifically on the practice squad — based on how they mesh with the starter and understand their role. Practice squad quarterbacks are often highly intelligent because they need to know their playbook and the opponent’s.
Of the 64 offensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches in the NFL, only 10 attempted a regular-season pass. Coaches don’t need to be stars, they just need to understand the game and the position they are coaching.
What really pushed Allen and Buechele closer was throwing mechanics. Allen is consistently trying to improve his throwing motion and footwork and that’s a specialty for Buechele.
“I think I see mechanics pretty well and I like watching it, too,” Buechele said. “I like watching the mechanics of throwing the football and where I can help as much as possible. He’s one of the most talented guys in the NFL at throwing the football, so he doesn’t need a lot of work, but I can help.”
But before the 27-year-old changes careers, he wants to play as long as he can. Buechele wants to stay in Buffalo and last season showed the Bills value his acumen and opinions.
Upon first signing with the Bills, Buechele pondered whether they just wanted to pump him for secrets on Mahomes and the Chiefs. Perhaps that was a reason at the time, but he knows that’s not why he’s still with the team.
“It was really cool to see them just want me here,” Buechele said. “That was an emotional time for (my family) because we’ve never been hurt before. So when that happened and they kind of lended a hand out and said they wanted me here and wanted me to help, that was a good feeling.”