Chiefs DB Juan Thornhill signals important step in ACL recovery

Thornhill signals that he’s been cleared to resume running.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Juan Thornhill took to Twitter on Monday and signaled an important step in his recovery from his ACL injury.

Thornhill suffered an ACL injury in Week 17 of the 2019 season against the Los Angeles Chargers. While Thornhill is tracking to be ready for the start of the 2020 NFL season, there are certain mile markers you look for in the ACL recovery process. One of those markers is returning to non-football workout activities.

Posting an encouraging message on Twitter, Thornhill appears to have been cleared to resume running. From my understanding, this is something that takes place anywhere from 12-20 weeks after ACL surgery. Thornhill didn’t have his surgery until the middle of January, so he’s right around that 18-week point.

If all goes well for Thornhill, he should soon be able to resume non-contact football-related activities such as cutting and lateral movement drills. The most important factor is to build up the strength to resume those types of activities.

Thornhill isn’t letting the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way of his rehab and recovery either. He is working with the brand TRXTraining to ensure that he’s on top of his training while he maintains social distancing guidelines at home.

A standout rookie during the 2019 season, Thornhill is a big part of the Chiefs’ plans on the defensive side of the ball moving forward. When he’s ready to return from his injury the team will look for him to continue to work opposite Tyrann Mathieu, forming one of the best safety duos in the NFL.

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