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.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.
