Eight months into his rehab, the biggest question for the Kansas City Chiefs is still about the return timeline of franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes. To that effect, head coach Andy Reid has given an update on how things have been moving for the 30-year-old.

“He’s doing great,” Coach Reid said in an interview with Sky Sports. “He spent seven hours a day here the whole offseason, and just busted his tail to make sure, within reason, within what the doctor’s restrictions were, that he would maximize everything. And he did that.”

When asked whether the Chiefs had to “slow him down” because of the way he attacks everything, Coach Reid added another update.

“No, not really,” he said. “I mean, not slow him down. They keep track of him. And then they give him the goals. We have a physical therapist here, Julie, that sets a standard for him. And then, he has to reach that, and then she won’t let him go past that.”

Many were actively concerned with Mahomes not taking a single snap in any of the Chiefs’ three preseason games. This was the first time he’d ever sat out of the preseason (setting aside the time the league cancelled the games owing to the pandemic), but that was just the Chiefs being cautious with his return rather than anything to be worried about. As for Mahomes, his “goal” of returning in Week 1 has not deterred in the slightest.

“It’s the amount of time they’ve said from the beginning that if I did everything the right way, I would be ready to play Week 1,” Mahomes said during the preseason. “I’m someone, if you put (a target) in front of me, I want to go out and get it and maximize every single opportunity, every rep in the weight room, every hour that I can spend in the building to get my body right.”

The biggest question, as it happens with ACL/LCL tears, is whether we will get the same Mahomes on the field who won two MVPs and three Super Bowl rings – or he will look like he’s missed several steps. But working with Julie Frymyer has already proven to be a game-changer for Mahomes in the past.

In the 2022 postseason’s divisional battle against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him for most of the first half. He came back in the second half and led his squad to a 27-20 win. Just a week of proper rehab later, Mahomes orchestrated a 326-yard, 2-touchdown game against the Cincinnati Bengals to move to the Super Bowl, earning his second Super Bowl ring as well as his second MVP title. After that AFC Championship game against the Bengals, Mahomes had even given a shoutout to Julie, who’d designed and executed the rehab that brought him back to full strength.

“Julie WAS the reason I was the guy I was on the field today!” Mahomes wrote on X. “It takes everyone but she led the charge all week!!! Now let’s get Super Bowl ready!!”

Julie has had eight months to work with Patrick Mahomes following his ACL/LCL injury last season. The questions about his playability will only be answered when (if) he takes the field on September 14th for the Monday Night showdown against the Denver Broncos. But for now, we can rest assured that he’s had the best trainer possible – guiding him along every step of the way.