How will Jordan Ta’amu Impact Chiefs?
This time last season, former Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu hoped he had done enough during his college career to be drafted by an NFL team. Unfortunately for Ta’amu, no NFL team called his name on draft day. He did sign as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans but spent just 23 days with the team in training camp before being released.
Now, Ta’amu has a second chance at the NFL after signing a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2020 season. The Chiefs are coming off of a Super Bowl win and expectations are high they can win it once more. NFL fans can use this guide to get a bet bonus to wager on the team they believe will win the Super Bowl this season.
From XFL to NFL in Five Games
Ta’amu is coming off of a very successful season with the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks. The quarterback had few opportunities in training camp with the Texans, however, the XFL gave Ta ‘amu — and other players like P.J. Walker – the chance to show NFL teams what they missed out on. NFL fans are preparing for training camp and the start of preseason games. Fans can use the Draftkings sportsbook promo code to wager on the NFL preseason games when they kickoff and bet the teams they predict will win.
The quarterback played five games for the Battlehawks completing 97 of 134 pass attempts for 72%. He tossed five touchdowns while throwing for 1,050 yards. Ta’amu’s performances were enough for the Chiefs to take a punt on him with a no-risk one-year deal.
Ta’amu won’t overtake Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has proven himself to be the best quarterback in the NFL. Ta’amu will have the chance to be Mahomes’ back-up. He will compete with Chad Henne and Kyle Shurmur for the back-up job, and if his play with the Battlehawks is any indication, Ta’amu will be the perfect signal caller in reserve.
The XFL enabled Ta’amu to learn to play at the professional level. According to the quarterback, the XFL was a notch above the elite college level he played at with Ole Miss. The pace of the game was faster and it helped him improve for a second shot at the NFL.
Learning from the Best
NFL executives have long sought a feeder league to develop players. The XFL’s original run in the early 2000s saw several players end up in the NFL and the top gridiron league is currently signing up XFL free agents who excelled last season.
Ta’amu will play under renowned NFL head coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs head honcho is considered a quarterback genius and coached some of the best signal callers of the last 30 years. Reid coached Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Alex Smith, Nick Foles, and Michael Vick, a proverbial who’s who list of NFL quarterbacks.
Ta’amu’s chances of starting in Kansas City are limited unless Mahomes suffers an injury. He can learn under both Reid and Mahomes to become an even better quarterback. The two signal callers are not that different in size and just two years separate them in age. Ta’amu could use his experience in Kansas City to learn and develop further as a player before moving on to run the offense of another NFL team.
The Chiefs have pulled off a no-risk signing with Ta’amu this spring. He will need to outshine both Henne and Shurmur in training camp, but after a successful XFL season, Ta’amu has the chance to earn the back-up job.
