The Kansas City Chiefs are cautiously optimistic that quarterback Patrick Mahomes returns to the fold in time to start Week 1 of the regular season, but that isn’t the end of the team’s concerns regarding its two-time MVP.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano appeared on the Friday, June 26 edition of “Get Up” and reported that Mahomes is “tracking” toward a return to full health by mid-September. But a return to full form for the superstar QB by then is considerably less certain.
“The question, of course, becomes, is he his old self? Does he need some time to be the player that he has always been when he’s been healthy?” Graziano said. “That’s a player that can take an average or above-average roster and make it a championship roster. So that’s what they’re going to need, because I think they’ve improved the defense. But the offense, you know, is pretty much what they had last year.”
Patrick Mahomes Speeding Back as Fast as Possible From ACL Injury
GettyQuarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mahomes last took a snap in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ Week 15 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 14, 2025. Kansas City opens the 2026 campaign on September 14, exactly nine months to the day since Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL.
Typical return timelines for that classification of injury begin at nine months, though many stretch beyond that. For example, pass-rusher Micah Parsons of the Green Bay Packers tore his ACL on the same day as Mahomes during a game against the Denver Broncos. Parsons, however, expects to miss between four and six weeks to begin the season.
The position of quarterback requires less vertical and lateral movement than that of an edge defender, but Mahomes ran the football 64 times last season for a career-high 422 yards and five touchdowns.
His proficiency at making plays with his legs was crucial to the Chiefs’ ability to extend drives and score points, and if the offense is much the same as last year like Graziano predicted, then Mahomes is going to need his feet under him in a real way for the offense to find success.
Even more importantly, his mind must be right and his confidence in his health complete if the QB is going to function as his normal self from the jump in Week 1.
Patrick Mahomes Has More Help in Form of RB Kenneth Walker III
GettyKansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III.
One area Graziano glossed over is the offensive backfield, where Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III will be making his debut against Denver in mid-September.
Walker’s presence behind a strong offensive line in Kansas City should take some of the pressure off Mahomes to make every play for the offense and keep defenses more honest given the run-pass tension and explosive potential the Chiefs’ offense should have in 2026, after neither were the same kind of threats last season.
There is also the question of wide receiver Rashee Rice’s health and readiness for the start of the campaign after he underwent knee surgery just days before a Texas court sent him to jail for 30 days due to a probation violation.
Rice emerged from behind bars earlier this month and the news on his health has been largely positive since, with a strong chance that he could be a full-go by the time training camp starts if circumstances go his way in rehab over the coming weeks.
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