The Kansas City Chiefs provided another update about Patrick Mahomes' rehab, and this one included some specifics.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been providing regular updates about the progress of quarterback Patrick Mahomes as he continues to recover from knee surgery, but most of them have been relatively meaningless. They’ve been positive with Mahomes staying “on track,” but there are few specifics about what that really means.
The latest update is a little different, however. According to Nate Taylor of ESPN, the program is broken down into phases, and coach Andy Reid mentioned a couple of specifics about that in his latest comments as the Chiefs prepare for OTAs to start on May 26.
"He is in a good position to be able to do some things," Reid said of Mahomes. "If he can do some things, [he'll do it]. Phase 2 [of the offseason program], remember, there's no contact and there's no offense versus defense. It's Phase 3 that you get into that. ... He's in a position where he can do everything, I think."
Mahomes is currently working with trainer Julie Frymyer, who has helped him recover from injuries throughout his nine-year career, according to Taylor. But this recovery is different due to the severity of the injuries Mahomes sustained, and his latest video has him throwing inside a training gym. Specifically, the quarterback is executing a five-step drop back at a moderate tempo, the writer added, which is a long way from doing it in an NFL game.
Reid continues to be Mr. Positive about all this, even if the steps are basic.
“Once you start the clock, then the clock’s got to be rolling,” Reid said, via Pete Sweeney of the Kansas City Star in another writeup from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “You just have to evaluate what you want to do there. But he’s in a position where he can do everything, I think.”
Alper also mentioned a Mahomes landmark that’s worth tracking. If the quarterback can stay off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list at the start of training camp, it would be a good indicator that he may actually be in the lineup in Week 1.
This would be great news for the Chiefs, who traded for quarterback Justin Fields and added Garrett Nussmeier as a late-round draft pick. Fields is athletic, but his pocket passing is an adventure, and Nussmeier slid down the draft board after starting his college career as a possible top pick. That’s what Reid’s clock references was about, and the good news is that Mahomes has been able to add to his workload.
"I know he's doing a lot of stuff right now," Reid said of Mahomes. "He is throwing the ball. He does it on his own."