Patrick Mahomes gave Kansas City its clearest sign yet that his knee recovery is moving in the right direction, completing a full Chiefs practice Wednesday. Rashee Rice and L’Jarius Sneed, meanwhile, followed carefully managed rehab plans, while several other players remained limited or sidelined. The Chiefs got their biggest piece of good news, but the injury board is still doing plenty of talking.
Mahomes participated in every practice period, including 11-on-11 team work, after recovering from the ACL and LCL tears and surgery he underwent in mid-December, according to The Kansas City Star. Coach Andy Reid had fully cleared the quarterback to practice, a major checkpoint in Mahomes’ push to be ready for the 2026 season. According to PubMed Central, a 2023 review on multiligament knee injury recovery reported return-to-sport (RTS) rates "of up to 88.2%," indicating that athletes with multiple-ligament injuries — the category that includes combined ACL/LCL injuries — can often return to play but with variable rates.
The Chiefs had already described the return as a day-by-day process. In an update published by Chiefs.com, Reid said Mahomes could take part in all of the team’s practice periods, while also confirming that Rice was cleared to participate in camp.
Rice And Sneed Still Working Through Rehab
Rice did not simply barrel through the session: He left for planned rehab work midway through practice, as did cornerback Sneed. Rice is coming off a 2026 knee debridement procedure, while Sneed’s workload is being managed against a history of knee issues, The Star reported.
Rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane wore a yellow non-contact jersey because of a shoulder injury. Defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott was seen rehabbing with trainers away from the main work and remains on the physically unable to perform list; the Chiefs’ official roster lists him among the team’s active/PUP players.
Full Practice Does Not Equal Week One Guarantee
Mahomes’ workload is encouraging, but it is not the same as a final medical declaration that he will start the opener. NFL.com described the clearance as a significant milestone while noting that Kansas City still plans to work him back cautiously after ACL surgery. According to PubMed Central, a 2025 review reported that "81 to 92% of patients return to some form of sport after ACLR recovery, [but] only 55 to 79% of patients return to their pre-injury level," which highlights that returning to full pre-injury performance is not guaranteed even when players resume sport activity.
For now, the read from St. Joseph is simple: Mahomes is practicing like the Chiefs expect him to matter immediately, while Rice, Sneed and the rest of the recovering group are still on managed timelines. That makes the next few camp sessions less about dramatic declarations and more about whether the stars keep stacking healthy days.
