Patrick

Mahomes

Yes, it’s only seven-on-seven drills, but for a player coming back from a late-season ACL tear who is hoping to be ready in time for Week 1, it’s a step in the right direction. The Chiefs remain optimistic that their QB1 will be ready to go at the start of the season, and Mahomes himself has said he’s hopeful he’ll be a full participant in training camp. With nearly two months to go until training camp begins, Mahomes has plenty of time left to continue his recovery before the real work begins. In the event he isn’t ready for Week 1, Justin Fields will likely start in his absence.

Mahomes acknowledges that it is “unclear” whether he will actually be ready to fully participate once training camp begins. His recovery timeline includes checkpoints that occur every one-to-two weeks. The next step is running, cutting and proving to the training staff “that he can protect himself.” Mahomes’ rehab seems to be going very well. He seemingly has a chance to be ready for Week 1.

ESPN’s Nate Taylor reports Mahomes, recovering from a late-season knee injury, participated “in some form and fashion ... during the Chiefs’ opening OTA practice.” The team released a video of Mahomes throwing a short pass while wearing an enormous brace on his injured left leg. Mahomes, entering his age-31 season, is in a race against the clock to be ready for Week 1 against the Broncos. If Mahomes can’t suit up for the season opener, Justin Fields would likely serve as KC’s starter.

This of course has to do with Rashee Rice failing a drug test and undergoing another knee procedure and missing up to two months. Rice this week violated his probation by testing positive for THC and will serve 30 days in jail. He’s slated to be out of jail by the middle of June. This is just the latest in a long time of off-the-field issues that have kept Rice away from the team. There’s also the matter of Rice’s health, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tuesday that the KC wideout will be sidelined for upwards of two months after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his right knee. The Chiefs, Breer said, believed Rice can be a top-10 NFL receiver when healthy, but are skeptical as to whether they can trust Rice to stay out of legal trouble and stay healthy. Rice’s legal woes and injury history could force Kansas City to reconsider an offer for Brown, who is widely expected to be dealt by the Eagles after June 1. The Patriots and Jaguars have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Brown. “I don’t believe that happens,” Breer said of Brown landing in Kansas City. “But I think if you’re the Chiefs you have to take a look at all of these things going forward.”

It’s a matchup of two teams whose quarterbacks are recovering from injuries of varying degrees this offseason. Patrick Mahomes is working back from a December ACL injury while Bo Nix is recovering from a broken ankle sustained in the postseason. Mahomes’ opening day status remains uncertain, though Chiefs officials appear optimistic he will be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Where this Broncos-KC game will be played is another question. Like many Week 1 primetime games, it could be played outside the United States.

“Once you start the clock, then the clock’s got to be rolling,” Reid said Saturday. “You just have to evaluate what you want to do there. But he’s in a position where he can do everything, I think.” The timing (Week 15) and severity of Mahomes’ injury would typically have a player in real danger of missing the following season’s opener, but the regular rules have rarely applied to Mahomes. Reid’s quotes suggest this time will be no different. Mahomes will probably still begin training camp on the active/PUP list, but at this point we would probably put his odds of being ready for the opener greater than 50 percent.

Mahomes has a chance to return in time for Week 1 after suffering season-ending ACL and LCL tears last year. It sounds like the plan is to rely on the run game and the defense for the first half of the season, as Mahomes “is working back from that injury.” For those concerned that the Chiefs might stick with that game plan all year, Veach adds that he hopes by “mid-season [or] late season, Pat’s in that groove and we have this thing cooking.” We believe he’s saying that the Chiefs intend to increase their passing frequency as the season progresses and we will continue to monitor Mahomes’ offseason participation. For now, RB Kenneth Walker looks like a safe bet to handle a hefty workload this year.

Kansas City, Breech said, “should be the first team to give them a call about making a possible deal” for Pitts, who is reportedly on the trade block, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “The Chiefs currently have two first-round picks heading into the draft and they would likely be able to get a deal done by sending just one of those to Atlanta.” Breech said dealing Pitts, entering his age-26 season, would free up some much-needed salary cap space for the Falcons and give them a first-round draft pick, which they do not have at the moment. Pitts, Breech said, would be the “heir apparent” to Travis Kelce, 36, who re-signed with the Chiefs last month after briefly considering retirement for a third straight offseason. Pitts in 2025 had 88 receptions for 928 yards and five touchdowns, a career season. KC last year ranked 11th in two tight end usage (28 percent).

Kansas City holds the ninth pick in the first round of the draft. Kiper rightly points out that the Chiefs very much need to bolster their wideout room after Xavier Worthy’s 2025 struggles, Travis Kelce’s age-based decline, and Rashee Rice’s various and disturbing off-the-field issues. Tyson struggled with injuries in college, missing nearly a third of his collegiate games. He remains a solid prospect with tantalizing upside, however. In 2024, when he went for 1,101 yards and ten touchdowns, Tyson had the seventh-highest yards per route run in the nation, playing from both the boundary and the slot. He could be a difference maker in a KC offense in need of a downfield playmaker. “I’m already picturing Mahomes buying time in the pocket and firing 50-50 balls to Tyson in the end zone,” Kiper said.

It was reported last week that the Chiefs are hopeful Mahomes would participate in OTAs in May, even if on a limited basis. While that may still be the case, when speaking at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix on Saturday, Reid opted to play things close to the vest. The 68-year-old coach said Mahomes is in the building seven hours a day and that it’s clear from the progress he has made in his recovery. That said, he also offered up a simple “we’ll just see where it goes from there,” in regards to Mahomes’ return. The Chiefs went out and acquired Justin Fields from the Jets earlier this month, and he’s expected to see plenty of first-team reps in Mahomes’ absence. We’ll likely get a better sense of Mahomes’ availability after the draft when OTAs ramp up.