Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took the field for the first two days of training camp this weekend. While he made it through both sessions in one piece, a few small moments caught the attention of reporters watching closely.

“I saw [Mahomes] fidget with [the knee brace] a lot,” The Athletic’s Jesse Newell said. “He reached down, tried to tighten it, tried to move it. So this is going to be an adjustment period for him as he gets used to this thing strapped around his left knee.”

Newell also noted that the Chiefs had him work on some drills involving his left knee, where he “rolled out” to the side.

Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in his left knee during Kansas City’s Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers back in December, a defeat that also knocked the Chiefs out of playoff contention for the first time in his career as a starter. He had surgery the next day and has spent the better part of eight months rehabbing toward a return in time for the 2026 season.

Mahomes has been cleared for training camp, but it looks like the Chiefs are still a little cautious with their approach. He wore a knee brace during his senior season in college, too, but soldiered on without any hiccups. It all depends on how comfortable he feels about his knee.

“It’s not like I’ve been told I have to wear it or how long I have to wear it,” Mahomes said. “It’s just going to be my comfortability how I feel. But I will start with it on just because I feel like I can still move and be myself with it. I played with it in college and then we’ll just see where we go from there.”

Since he is wearing the brace now, it looks like it will be a while before things are all systems go. The quarterback has been vocal about playing the season opener, which is set for September 14. Hopefully, Mahomes will be more confident about his healed knee.

Meanwhile, Mahomes has also been adamant about a do-over of last year.

“I feel like I wasn’t playing my best football last season before I got hurt, so I’ve got to find ways to get better, navigate in the pocket and run the offense better,” he said.

Right now, the early indications are that Kansas City is testing the knee just enough each day to gather new information, as Mahomes deals with the small, uncomfortable unfamiliarity of a brace he’s not quite used to just yet.