Patrick Mahomes Is Already Doing 7-on-7 Drills at Chiefs OTAs. The ACL Recovery Is Ahead of Schedule
Patrick Mahomes is 5.5 months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL. He is already at Chiefs OTAs running individual drills and 7-on-7 work. Andy Reid spent the second week of OTAs in a giddy mood. There is a reason for that.
Mahomes participated in individual drills, 7-on-7 work, and even some light 11-on-11 reps. He is not allowed to take contact. He is not allowed to scramble at full speed. But he is throwing the football, and he looked like Patrick Mahomes again. That is a remarkable update for a guy who tore two ligaments in his knee in January.
The Chiefs are being cautious. The team has said they will not let Mahomes push through pain or rush back too quickly. The internal goal has always been Week 1 of the 2026 season. Five months in, the goal looks achievable, but the team is going to take its time.
“As a competitor, I want to be out there with my guys,” Mahomes told reporters. “That’s still a long way away. I can only focus on executing each day to improve.” That is the version of Mahomes the Chiefs need to hear from. The version that is going to compete with his own rehab plan until his medical team has to physically pull him back.
The receiver group has been working with Mahomes on the side. Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton each hauled in multiple deep throws in 7-on-7 work this week. The Chiefs are going to lean on their speed at receiver in 2026, and Mahomes is going to need every yard those guys can create after the catch.
Rashee Rice is the player who is not at OTAs. Rice is currently spending 30 days in jail for violating his parole. He also recently had a clean-up surgery on his right knee to remove loose debris. Rice is going to be a question mark heading into training camp, and the Chiefs are going to need to know whether they can count on him.
Jalen Royals has stepped up in Rice’s absence. The second-year receiver has been getting reps with the first team and looking like a player who could carve out a real role. Royals was a fourth-round pick last year. He has flashed during the spring, and Reid has talked about him in a way that suggests he is going to be on the field a lot in 2026.
The Chiefs offensive line is the bigger question. The team lost Joe Thuney in free agency last year and the protection around Mahomes was visibly worse in 2025. Kansas City spent draft capital on the line, but the unit is still a work in progress. Mahomes is going to need clean pockets to make up for whatever rust he carries into Week 1.
What this means for the AFC West is the Chiefs are still the team to beat. The Chargers are loaded. The Raiders are improving. The Broncos have Bo Nix as a real franchise quarterback now. But the Chiefs have Mahomes and Reid, and as long as those two are on the same sideline, Kansas City is the favorite to win the division.
The bigger picture is the Chiefs spent the past two years getting Mahomes back to peak form after a back issue limited him in 2024. He is going to be 31 in September. He has been to seven Super Bowls and won three of them. The rest of the league has spent years trying to catch up. Mahomes coming back at full health makes it harder for everyone.
Week 1 is on the calendar. The Chiefs are betting Mahomes will be ready. So far, the bet is winning.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
