KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The start of the Chiefs’ 2026 season is exactly three weeks away, and the biggest question in Kansas City remains: will Patrick Mahomes be starting at quarterback in Week 1?
The Chiefs will host the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football on Sept. 14 - a game Mahomes has been [very open about _wanting_ to play in](https://x.com/MarkPoulose/status/2091336677843157013?s=20).
“I’m going to be ready to go for that first game of the year, God willing,” Mahomes said on the broadcast of Saturday’s second preseason game.
But whether or not he’ll be medically cleared to play - exactly nine months after tearing his ACL and LCL - is the deciding factor.
On Monday at their training facility, head coach Andy Reid said he doesn’t have any prediction on what his franchise quarterback will be able to do three weeks from now.
“Listen, he’s doing great. We’ll just see, literally taking it day by day. No predictions here on anything. If the doctors and trainers and everybody involved with this give him the OK, and most of all if he feels like he can, then we’ll address that when we get there,” said Reid.
There’s still one final preseason game to be played before the clock truly starts winding down in Kansas City. The Chiefs will host the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks this Friday, Aug. 28 at 7:00 p.m.
That means roster cuts are looming for many hopefuls currently in Kansas City, and recent draftees are continuing to get crucial minutes to help prepare them for the real action come September.
One rookie who is savoring the minutes he gets this preseason is No. 6 overall pick Mansoor Delane. While the star cornerback, who is the Chiefs’ highest draft pick since Patrick Mahomes, doesn’t really have to worry about facing a roster cut, he does have some lost time to make up for.
The first-rounder injured his shoulder in OTAs, and sported a yellow, non-contact jersey for most of training camp.
“I was definitely just eager to get back healthy,” Delane said about his recovery process. “But I think it was a sign. Just I think it was meant to be; maybe it was just mental reps. Learning the playbook, whatever, I think it was meant to be how it happened.”
Even when he couldn’t take live reps up in St. Joseph, he was always seen running in and out of pre-snap huddles. He explained why at the podium on Monday:
“Just mental reps. At the same time just having that feeling of being with my brothers. Not just being that guy tucking his chin, sitting on the sideline, but still actively being involved, that was a big thing. Just being one with my team still,” Delane said.
Kansas City Chiefs rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane talks to reporters on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.(KCTV5)
He was able to get his first taste of NFL action on Saturday night in Tampa Bay in their second preseason game against the Buccaneers.
“I think it was cool,” he reflected. “It wasn’t too many reps, but obviously just getting my feet wet, getting that experience, I think was the biggest thing for me.”
As for the rest of the young hopefuls in Kansas City, Reid had a lot of praise for the progress his rookies have made in the final weeks of the preseason. These are the biggest things he’s looking for as roster cuts loom:
“Can you rebound after a tough day? You’re getting to see that. Rebound after a tough play? And then are you a repeat offender? You get an idea of all of that during camp, and so when I say I like what I’ve seen from the rookies, collectively, I feel like they’re learning from whatever mistakes they make. It looks like they have talent to help us go forward and win games and then will there be a growing process to take the other?
“There will be, but as long as they’re going 100 miles an hour doing it, they’ll work through it because they don’t normally repeat the mistake twice,” said Reid.
The Chiefs are 0-2 through their first two games of the preseason.
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