As the Kansas City Chiefs left for training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, the team received some welcome news. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was cleared to practice after spending the offseason rehabbing from a season-ending knee injury suffered in December.
Speaking after Saturday’s practice, Mahomes revealed the final hurdle he overcame before Dr. Dan Cooper — who repaired the quarterback’s ACL and LCL — would sign off on a return to full participation.
Final clearance
was not a given.
“I had to pass a test that was pretty hard,” Mahomes recalled. “Then, they made me go out there and do a lot of cutting and jumping and all that different type of stuff. I’m a competitor. So, when it comes to a test of physical ability, I wanted to go out there and do it, but he wasn’t going to take it easy on me. He was going to push me to my limit and see what I got.
“You’re nervous because you’re so close to camp and have to pass it kind of on that first time, but I was able to do that.”
Receiving Cooper’s blessing has allowed Mahomes to have confidence in fully returning to practice. However, he knows that he remains under scrutiny as he tries to overcome a serious injury.
“It wasn’t like he was just going to clear me to clear me,” Mahomes noted. “So, I knew that I could go out there and be myself. Now, it’s about proving to the coaches and the doctors as they watch all this stuff that I can go out there and do that in the regular season as well.”
For his part, Mahomes has had no noticeable setback through two weeks of training camp.
“It feels great,” he said of the knee. “I’m just pushing every single day. I’m trying to stack days together. I feel like when you’re tired, sometimes you don’t even think about it. I’m trying to protect it, but at the same time, I’m trying to push it and get myself ready to go for the season.”
Mahomes has been seen adjusting his knee brace at times. Since the team has transitioned to padded practices with the knee completely covered, it has seemed to bother him less.
“I forget about it sometimes,” he admitted. “I try to be smart, but you get through camp, and you’re trying to compete. Practices are long, and you want to win the rep. So, there are times when I do forget about it and just play football. Which is a good thing. I’ll have to do that again whenever we get to the regular season. It’s about just learning how to play with what I’ve got. I feel like I’m able to move and do the things that I can. We’re just going to keep pushing it and see where I can get it to so I can hopefully get that OK to go out there and play Week 1.”
It would be an upset at this point if Mahomes does not play Week 1 against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football.” The preseason appears to be another matter.
On Friday, head coach Andy Reid all but ruled Mahomes out of the first exhibition on August 15 against the Los Angeles Rams — and implied that Mahomes is uncertain to suit up at all in the early slate.
Mahomes has not been told that he is not playing in the preseason, but the decision will not affect his preparation.
“Whatever Coach says. I’m going to prepare to play,” he remarked. “He hasn’t told me anything. So, I’ll prepare to play and prepare to get myself ready. We’ll see where we go from there. If not, I’ll be as locked in as I am during the game and try to get myself ready to go for the game. It’s just a process of trying to make sure you’re ready for the season. Whatever Coach thinks is the best, I’ll do.”
Whenever Mahomes retakes the field, he knows that he will have to battle being cautious with the aggressive style that made him the league’s most recognizable player.
“I’m trying to hold back because I’m a competitor, and I like competing,” he explained. “All of a sudden, I’m running and cutting back and trying to pitch the ball. It’s trying to keep yourself from doing stuff like that, but when it’s fourth down, and you want to try to make a play happen, you try to make a play happen. I’m not going to lose who I am, but I’m going to try to keep myself smart and keep myself in position to be out there for my teammates.”
While return from serious injury is new territory for him, Mahomes wants observers to know that he is up for the challenge.
“I’ll be ready to play,” the three-time Super Bowl champion declared. “I know that. That’s just how you have to go about it. Whenever the opportunity comes to go out there and play football, you have to go out there and maximize it. If that’s the preseason, I’ll go out there and play. If that’s the regular season, I’ll go out there and play. Whenever I get that opportunity, I’ll be ready to step back on that football field and be myself.”
