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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been cleared to participate in the start of training camp, checking off one of the major goals that the two-time MVP set for himself when he underwent surgery late last year to repair torn ligaments in his left knee.
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Mahomes said Friday he visited earlier this week with Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas-based orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation, and that he met all the benchmarks necessary to report to Missouri Western State University on time.
The Chiefs begin practice Saturday for rookies, quarterbacks and players coming off injuries. Full-squad work begins next week.
None of those players is more important than Mahomes, who hurt his knee late in a loss to the Chargers in December. He underwent surgery immediately afterward, and rather than spend the offseason at his Texas home like usual, Mahomes toiled away at the Chiefs’ practice facility, pushing forward with his rehab so he would be ready to go by the late-July start of camp.
“It was always the goal to be able to practice when I got to training camp. We kind of hit that step,” Mahomes said. “Now, it’s about building and keep getting better and better, so when the regular season comes around, I can be available.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Mahomes was fully cleared — no limitations at all — but that he would evaluate the cornerstone of the franchise on a daily basis. Whether he participates in any of the Chiefs’ preseason games remains to be seen.
The preseason opener against the Rams is Aug. 15. But the far more important date is Sept. 14, when the Chiefs welcome the AFC West-champion Broncos to Arrowhead Stadium for a marquee Monday night showdown in Week 1.
“We’ll see about games and all that once we get there,” Reid said, “but right now, we’re just taking it day by day.”
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Mahomes, who signed a lucrative restructured contract in June that will tie him to the Chiefs through the 2033 season, plans to wear a brace on his left knee, much like he did while recovering from an injury in college, in part because it doesn’t really bother him.
But other than that, he plans to participate in camp just like he has for the past decade.
“Like, I’m a competitor,” Mahomes said, “so gameday, I’m going to want to be out there. But I understand the process of getting myself ready to play in the regular season is more important (than the preseason). But we’ll see. I mean, the coaches and doctors will kind of make that decision for me, but I’ll prepare myself like I’m going to play. And then if I’m just doing a very hard warmup, I’ll take that as serious as playing in the preseason game. It’s just a couple of weeks away, but it feels like a long ways away.”
Not nearly as long as it probably felt in December, when Mahomes was rehabbing largely by himself. He got some advice from Tom Brady and former teammate Tyrann Mathieu, who overcame similar injuries in their careers, about how to proceed, and then he found an unexpected virtual workout buddy in Eagles tight end Zach Ertz.
Ertz also tore his ACL last December, and the two would send each other videos of themselves doing deadlifts, sprints and agility, each trying to upstage the other as they progressed through the long, difficult days of the rehab process.
“They all said, ‘Stay on top of it,’” Mahomes said. “I mean, it’s a long process. I remember sitting on the table and watching us play those last few games, how much it hurt me. But I knew that if I continue to work, I can be at this spot where I get cleared for practice, and now I’m trying to get to that spot where I’m cleared to play for the regular season.”
Notes: DT Omarr Norman-Lott is likely to begin camp on the physically unable-to-perform list after tearing his right ACL in October, Reid said. “Big guys with ACLs, it takes a little time to come back,” he said. … WR Rashee Rice was cleared to practice after surgery in May to clean up debris in his right knee. … CB Mansoor Delane, the Chiefs’ first-round pick, was undergoing physicals Friday and Reid is hopeful that he will be on the practice field soon. He hurt his shoulder during offseason workouts.
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