KC Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes briefly leaves practice after injury scare, but is ‘OK’
The Chiefs on Monday endured a brief scare during the final set of team drills at Missouri Western State University.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was observed on the sideline favoring his lower left leg after a repetition with the first-team offense, and then spoke briefly to head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder before both walked to the medical tent.
The evaluation lasted a few minutes before Mahomes exited the tent and rejoined his teammates, helmet in hand.
Crisis averted.
“He got stepped (on),” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “He’s OK.”
Reid said an offensive lineman was pushed back during the 11-on-11 drill, leading to the inadvertent contact between blocker and quarterback.
For Mahomes, getting stepped on comes with the territory as a signal-caller.
“When you play this position, you get stepped on a lot of times,” Mahomes told The Star after practice. “Once I got stepped on and I wasn’t having any pain in the ankle and it was only in the exact spot, I knew I was fine.”
Mahomes wrapped up practice by participating in a few throws with quarterbacks Chad Henne, Shane Beuchele and rookie Dustin Crum before the final stretching period.
PARTICIPATION REPORT
Tight end Jody Fortson, who suffered a quad injury Saturday, did not practice Monday and worked off to the side with a trainer at the rehabilitation tent.
Fortson’s injury isn’t considered serious.
“It doesn’t look too bad at all,” Reid said. “He’s swinging right back into it. We think it will be a few days and get him back out there.”
Cornerback Rashad Fenton (shoulder), tackle Lucas Niang (knee) and offensive lineman Prince Tega Wanogho (leg) remain on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The trio continue to work with a trainer off to the side.
Defensive end Carlos Dunlap, whom the Chiefs signed last week, remains absent but is expected to report Wednesday.
Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who is expected to sign his franchise tender, was not present.
OBSERVATIONS
The Chiefs had their first padded practice of training camp under warm, muggy conditions. The duration, however, was controlled as the players continue to acclimate in full pads and practice ended after roughly 90 minutes. “A little shorter practice by league rules, and so part of the ramp period now for pads is the same type of thing we had when the guys first came in without the pads,” Reid explained.
The Chiefs moved Andrew Wylie back to right tackle, with Roderick Johnson manning the left side. With Brown set to report, Johnson will likely battle Geron Christian and rookie Darian Kinnard for key backup positions.
Rookie safety Bryan Cook lined up with the first-team defense in dime packages alongside safeties Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid, and cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie and Joshua Williams.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was at the right place at the right time during one set of 11-on-11 drills in the red zone. Mahomes threw a hard pass to tight end Noah Gray, but the ball bounced off his hands and high into the air. Smith-Schuster, though, snared the loose ball and walked in for a touchdown.
One of the biggest highlights of training camp falls on one-on-one padded drills between the offensive linemen and defensive linemen, and Monday didn’t disappoint. In fact, Monday gave rookie defensive end George Karlaftis the opportunity to standout. During one rush, Karlaftis used a bull rush on offensive tackle Evin Ksiezarczyk to get in the backfield. Karlaftis then closed out the drill by moving to the right side of the defensive line with another impressive bull rush on Roderick Johnson. Defensive end Frank Clark showed his appreciation by hugging Karlaftis, and fans also cheered, “Way to go, George!”
