Patrick Mahomes expected to start for Chiefs in Week 1 against Broncos

Patrick Mahomes is just shy of nine months removed from tearing his ACL, but it appears that's all the time the Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback needs. Coach Andy Reid said Mahomes is on track to start in a Week 1 "Monday Night Football" AFC West showdown against the Denver Broncos.

"Pretty good chance that Patrick will go ahead and start unless something were to come up here in the next couple days, but most likely he'll be the guy that's out there," Reid said.

Last year was the first time Mahomes had failed to play a full season (excluding resting in meaningless Week 18 games) since 2020. However, he had said for months that he had a Week 1 return in mind, and Reid's comments are the most concrete support of that goal yet.

"He's shown everything there," Reid said. "He hasn't missed a day ... and you guys have seen him out there, so you know what it looks like, him running around and doing his stuff. Other than having a brace on his leg, everything looks normal. He's running around the same way he's always done and throwing the ball like he's always done. I think he'll be fine there."

It's not such good news, though, for a key player hoping to protect Mahomes in his return. Left tackle Josh Simmons is dealing with a back issue and trending in the wrong direction.

"There's a good chance Josh doesn't play this week," Reid said. "That's where we're at. ... We have that in our mind, and he has an issue there that he's working through. I'm not putting any time restraint on when he can come back."

Reid explained that undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson would be in line to start in Simmons' place. Offensive line depth was a concern for Kansas City throughout training camp, and it's already being tested with a player making his NFL debut being tasked with protecting Mahomes' blind side in his return from major injury.

The Broncos led the NFL with 68 sacks last year, and Benson could face Nik Bonitto, who had 14 sacks and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.