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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Patrick Mahomes suffered the first serious injury of his NFL career last season, tearing his ACL and LCL — an injury that forced him to miss the final few games of the season. The Kansas City Chiefs finished 6-11, their worst record of the Mahomes era. Reports throughout the offseason and into training camp have been optimistic, though, and Mahomes has been a full participant in practice since camp began.
On Thursday, however, the Chiefs made a subtle but noteworthy change, allowing backup Justin Fields to work 11-on-11 reps with the first-team offense for the first time this camp — a potential sign that Fields could be QB1 for the Chiefs' preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, Aug. 15.
After practice, Fields spoke about how Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid have aided his development. "I've been learning a lot since I've been here, and I'm excited to learn more, especially [Reid] and [Mahomes]. They definitely taught me a lot," Fields said. "I'm ready to get back on the field and in game mode, to be honest. It should be fun for the guys that are going to get out there and especially the rookies."
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The Chiefs' dynasty under Reid, Mahomes, and Travis Kelce has produced three Super Bowl titles, five AFC championships, and eight AFC West division crowns. Last season's stumble was a surprise to everyone, and expectations this year are for Kansas City to bounce back and reclaim its place among the NFL's top teams. But it all hinges on Mahomes' recovery.
Ideally, fans would get to see Mahomes in live preseason action before Week 1, but Fields was brought in for exactly this kind of scenario. The former first-round pick has had an up-and-down NFL career, but he's still one of the most explosive rushing quarterbacks in the league. Now learning under one of the greatest coaches of all time and one of the game's greatest signal callers, there's a chance the NFL hasn't seen the best of the 27-year-old Fields yet.
Mahomes remains the presumed Week 1 starter, but the Chiefs are clearly preparing Fields just in case, and fans may get to see him live in action as soon as next week.
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