WIth the full roster reporting to Missouri Western State University for the start of training camp this week, Kansas City Chiefs still might not see defensive tackle Turk Wharton and running back Isiah Pacheco for a while.
So much of the excitement around a team reporting back to training camp after a long offseason is knowing the slate is clean from the previous season. Former frustrations or losses are set aside in the hopes that a new year will bring new success, but some players on the Chiefs are still trying their best to shed that skin.
Coming into training camp, the Chiefs—like every team in the NFL—have a few players who are still doing their best to return to the field of play. Late-season injuries will often bleed into the next, forcing them to sit out preseason games or training camp practices. Other players will wait until the offseason in order to attend to surgeries after playing through injuries the previous year.
Both Wharton and Pacheco are likely candidates to start camp on the Physically Unable to Perforom list.
Coming into camp this week, head coach Andy Reid addressed the media from St. Joseph as rookies and quarterbacks reported on July 18. He stated that the team was looking quite healthy overall and a lot of players who were dealing with minor injuries are ready to go. That said, both Wharton and Pacheco were still not ready to join their teammates.
Pacheco is still working his way back from a couple of offseason surgeries he had to correct issues with his shoulder and hand—injuries he was playing through during the team's long Super Bowl run. Back at minicamp in early May, Reid said, "I can't even give you a timeline on it, but he's doing well.'' Hopefully the Chiefs will have a more in-depth timeline to offer as camp gets underway.
As for Wharton, his timeline is a greater concern because he suffered a torn ACL injury relatively early in Week 5 against the Raiders. It makes sense that he might still need some time, but he's going to be potentially limited even then and will need further time and effort to get back into game shape. Also working through the mental hurdles to trust the knee again will be another aspect to his return.