Patrick Mahomes took another important step in his accelerated return from a torn ACL when he participated in 11-on-11 drills during the Kansas City Chiefs’ opening full squad practice of training camp.

Mahomes took three snaps in the team period on Wednesday, his first competitive work of that kind since suffering the injury in December. The session was deliberately abbreviated, but the sight of the Chiefs’ quarterback taking every scheduled rep was enough to encourage head coach Andy Reid.

“He did everything, which is a positive,” Reid said in the Chiefs’ official account of practice. “He looked pretty good today. He looks strong. You can see the strength in his legs, which is important with a leg injury. His feet are moving well.”

Mahomes also worked through seven-on-seven periods, finding tight ends Jared Wiley and Travis Kelce for sizeable gains before connecting twice with rookie receiver Cyrus Allen in redzone work, but the early progress does not mean the rehabilitation is complete. Mahomes tore both the ACL and LCL in his left knee during Kansas City’s Week 15 defeat by the Los Angeles Chargers and has acknowledged that managing the after-effects may extend well beyond this summer. He has nevertheless been cleared for full participation and intends to undertake the same camp workload he would have faced without the injury, albeit while wearing a brace and the red non-contact jersey afforded to quarterbacks.

“The process isn’t over,” Mahomes said when the Chiefs reported to St Joseph. “It’ll be something I’ll probably be dealing with the next few years of my career, and throughout the rest of my career. But I feel comfortable now being able to go out there and run the offense the way the offense is supposed to be run.

“This will be the hardest training camp that you can have, as far as preparing for the season. I’m glad I’m able to do that.”

Returning to physical health is only part of the quarterback’s objective. The knee injury brought a premature finish to a season already heading towards unfamiliar territory for Kansas City, with the Chiefs ultimately missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Mahomes has been frank in assessing his own contribution to that decline.

“I feel like I wasn’t playing my best football at the end of last year before I got hurt,” he admitted. “So I have to find ways to get better navigating the pocket, running the offense better, getting the ball out of my hands and letting other guys make plays. I think this injury helped me kind of focus on those little things as I get back to being who I am.”

Rehabilitation has made Mahomes stronger in the conventional sense, but his next challenge is converting the gains made in the gym into the quick reactions and subtle movements required inside the pocket. He sought advice from Tom Brady, Zach Ertz and former team-mate Tyrann Mathieu during the recovery process, drawing upon players who had experienced similar injuries and successfully continued their careers.

Reid has resisted attaching milestones to the comeback, preferring to assess his quarterback at each stage. Three team snaps in July bear little resemblance to the traffic Mahomes will encounter once the games begin, but they represent a notable advance for a player injured little more than seven months ago.

Kansas City also has Justin Fields, signed during the offseason, and rookie Garrett Nussmeier in its quarterback room. Their presence gives the Chiefs alternatives if Mahomes encounters a setback, although the first practice provided no indication that his workload needs to be reduced.

The Chiefs open their regular season against Denver on September 14th and Mahomes has never concealed his intention to be behind center that afternoon, but his wider ambition extends beyond simply making the start. After a season in which Kansas City’s long run of January appearances ended, he is using the most difficult rehabilitation of his career to re-examine the quarterback he was before his knee gave way.