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By Megan Armstrong
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters that he's "fully cleared" to participate in training camp, just seven months after undergoing surgery to repair the torn ACL suffered on Dec. 14.
"This is just another checkpoint on the schedule," Mahomes said. "You have to continue to work. It's not like it's over, and I'm just gonna be able to play a game tomorrow. You gotta continue to work and get better and better and go throughout practice and prove to the coaches, prove to the doctors, and everybody that I'm the same quarterback I was before, if not better."
Steven St. John posted a video from Wednesday's practice. In it, Mahomes, wearing a brace on his left leg, looked like the same quarterback. He unleashed a pass toward the end zone and was frustrated with the result. He jumps up and down and runs away toward the sideline.
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"He looked pretty good today, I thought," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters after practice. "Strong. You can see the strength in his legs, which is important with a leg injury. You kind of look at that first. See how his feet are moving. Feet are moving well. I thought it was positive. I thought he looked well."
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Mahomes' every movement will be nitpicked for the duration of training camp, preseason, and at least the early part of the regular season.
Even if Mahomes hadn't blown out his knee, he would have been under the microscope for the 2026 season.
The two-time NFL MVP, three-time Super Bowl champion, and three-time Super Bowl MVP has been statistically underwhelming — if you only look at the basic counting stats — for the past three seasons. It didn't matter in 2023 and 2024 because the Chiefs won the Super Bowl and reached the Super Bowl, respectively, but Mahomes' individual performance earned more scrutiny when the Chiefs stumbled to a 6-11 record last season.
Mahomes will be supported by a familiar face and a fresh one. The Chiefs reunited with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, under whom Mahomes won both his MVPs, and signed former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III in free agency.
Once the season starts, Mahomes won't be jumping around in frustration over missed passes because Walker will running, running, and running some more. The Chiefs will open their 2026 regular-season schedule by hosting the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football" on Sept. 14.
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