When the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their OTAs this week, the very first thing that stood out was franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes being back on the field. It was the first time the veteran QB took the field since tearing his ACL and LCL late last season against the LA Chargers. He has been working hard on rehabbing the injury throughout the offseason, and the team has also been putting in work to get back to glory.

What started with strength and conditioning training back in April evolved into positional drills in the past weeks. And now with the OTAs, the team was focused on red zone and third-down plays, with a lot to notice as the Chiefs attempt to rebuild their dynasty.

Mahomes back in business

Patrick Mahomes showed up to the OTAs wearing a brace on his left leg and a yellow non-contact jersey. The team pulled him away from the 11-on-11 drills, and he mostly worked on 7-on-7 drills instead. When addressing the media, he shared how the locker room is feeling this offseason.

“There are hard days, but they know why we’re doing it. The guys want to be great,” Mahomes said. “We’ve had a good start to these OTAs, and we just need to keep pushing through it.”

And the Chiefs did push through. Out of all the plays Mahomes made, a clean touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to wide receiver Xavier Worthy stood out. Overall, it didn’t look like Mahomes had missed a step, and he was excited to be back in action.

“It’s good to be back on the field and just be with the guys, I think more than anything,” Mahomes told reporters Thursday. “When you’re in some of those days, you’re rehabbing, you’re kind of there by yourself or with a couple of the other guys. And you kind of get that juice whenever everyone gets back in the building. So it was good to be out there and be able to take part in a little bit of the practice.”

While Mahomes’ return sparked hope for the Chiefs Kingdom, that wasn’t the only highlight.

Worthy wearing yellow, making plays

Just like Mahomes, Xavier Worthy showed up wearing a yellow non-contact jersey. Worthy had suffered a torn labrum on his left shoulder after colliding with tight end Travis Kelce in Week 1 last season. Worthy missed two weeks, then played through the hurt shoulder for the rest of the season. He underwent a successful surgery in January to fix his shoulder, and has been limited at the OTAs because of it.

Despite being limited, Worthy still hauled in two end zone touchdowns from Mahomes. With his quarterback returning from a season-ending injury, Worthy will be hoping to stay fit for the whole of 2026 to take the load off Mahomes. To that effect, the third-year receiver has already impressed head coach Andy Reid.

“He’s really doing a nice job,” Coach Reid said. “It’s great for him to be able to detail things. He’s working like crazy at it. I think he’s more comfortable now. He had a couple things cleaned out there, so he’s feeling good about that, and I think he’s in a good spot. We just don’t want to take any steps back.”

Justin Fields with his new team

On Thursday, Fields threw several incompletions, lofting passes beyond his targets according to the Kansas City Star’s  Pete Sweeney. But it has only been two months since the Chiefs traded for the quarterback with the New York Jets, and it would be a while before he fully adapts to Coach Reid’s system. But Fields also redeemed himself with an off-balance throw to Kenneth Walker III, who reminded everyone why he’s the Super Bowl LX MVP with a one-handed catch. Regardless of the miscues, Fields is putting the work in, and Reid has noticed.

“Very smart, and a hard worker,” Reid said. “He gets it. He’s been there. You can tell he’s been there. Again, he’s trying to work on all the ball actions that we’re doing, play-action stuff that we’re doing that might be a little bit different, some of the drops, trying to fit him in with the receivers. He doesn’t know all these receivers yet, so he’s getting to know these guys so he can stay on time with them. But I like what I see.”

Spagnuolo is working the corners hard

Ever since the Chiefs lost Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson this offseason, the biggest question has been about who reshapes the cornerback room. To that effect, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was in constant communication with Nohl Williams at the OTAs. Nohl, the third-round pick out of the 2025 draft, established himself with 48 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 tackles for loss last season, and even had five starts.

If Williams keeps getting this kind of personal attention in training camp as well, he has a chance to take control of the job. And from the looks of things, Spags might already be pushing him to prove he can be a legitimate starter.

Rookies Jadon Canady and Mansoor Delane are also developing steadily, breaking up passes at the OTAs. Veteran cornerback Chris Roland-Wallas also stood out for his playmaking, rounding out the room.

One thing the Chiefs are worried about is their receiving corps. Xavier Worthy is reeling from surgery, Travis Kelce is 36, and has a wedding on his mind. But the biggest question mark for Patrick Mahomes right now is Rashee Rice, and the team seems to be pivoting away from him.

Rashee Rice’s troubles, and Jalen Royals’ opportunity

Wide receiver Rashee Rice is currently serving a 30-day sentence in Dallas County Jail for violating probation tied to the car crash incident from 2024. In his place at the OTAs, second-year receiver Jalen Royals is getting reps with Justin Fields in 11-on-11s and Patrick Mahomes in 7-on-7s. On one particular play with Mahomes, Royals snatched the ball from the air right out of his break and gained a lot of yards. Royals, too, has impressed Andy Reid with his OTA display.

“It gives Jalen some great reps,” Reid said. “He looks strong out here and running well and that whole deal. It’s great for him. It’s great for him and the quarterbacks to see what he’s all about on repeated reps.”

Royals was seen getting some advice directly from Coach Reid himself. He had spent the last season as a special teamer, appearing in 7 games. But if he keeps up the highlights, KC could give him increased looks in 2026.

Meanwhile, Rice had already missed 6 weeks last season because of his suspension. Now he’s missing practice, and could even face further action from the league itself. The Chiefs needed other options, and Royals is making a strong case for himself.

Patrick Mahomes is ahead of schedule and already throwing dimes. Xavier Worthy’s chemistry is still there, and the secondary has a real fight brewing at corner. Now, if Jalen Royals can turn his OTA reps into something louder, the Chiefs will have discovered a new offensive blueprint.