Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid ditched his usual approach this year, opting to bring rookies and quarterbacks into training camp days early after a dismal 6-11 season last year. For a decade, the Chiefs had made at least the wild-card round, with many of those seasons ending in February, but a major knee injury to Patrick Mahomes contributed to a complete collapse that nobody in Kansas City expected.
Mahomes’ Comeback Starts Early
The biggest reason for this sudden shift? Patrick Mahomes, who was cleared this past week for full participation in training camp after undergoing surgery in December to repair torn knee ligaments. While coach Reid insisted there will be no limitations for the two-time MVP, Mahomes himself admitted the personal challenge. “You just have to build that confidence back,” he said, explaining he is glad he gets to do that “from Day 1 of training camp.” He emphasized not wanting “to get only a couple of weeks of practice in and then have to go play a game.” Mahomes wants to “build it up, see how training camp goes as we gradually build,” because he believes “that’ll help me get back to where I need to be.”
New Faces Need Reps, Too
But this early camp is not just about Mahomes’ comeback story. It is a critical period for the Chiefs’ other quarterbacks too. They swung a trade with the Jets to bring in Justin Fields as the veteran backup, clearly hoping to have someone capable of winning a couple of games should Mahomes be unable to start Week 1. Then there is Garrett Nussmeier, the once-heralded college star from LSU who surprisingly fell all the way to the 249th overall pick in last April’s NFL draft. For both of them, learning the offense and getting those crucial reps without a full team flying around is a massive advantage.
Rookies Get a Head Start
Beyond the quarterbacks, Reid’s early start provides a golden opportunity for a massive rookie class. We are talking more than two dozen new faces in camp, and Kansas City will be leaning upon them more heavily than perhaps any other point in Reid’s tenure with the team. Defensive back Mansoor Delane, who was the first cornerback taken in the draft, is already expected to start Week 1. He probably will not be the only first-year player on the field, with the team needing depth after last season’s roster issues and injury exacerbations.
This three-day crash course, continuing through brutal heat indexes topping triple digits, truly shows how serious Reid is about hitting the reset button. He even admitted, “I didn’t like not doing it last year after I got done with it, to be honest with you.” Getting these foundational reps for Mahomes, for the new QBs, and for a huge rookie class before the full squad arrives is absolutely crucial. After a dismal 6-11 collapse last season that ended far earlier than anyone expected, the Chiefs cannot afford to start slow again. This early work is a good thing for them, and it definitely could not hurt.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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