Kansas City Chiefs DB Juan Thornhill was of the best defensive rookies in the NFL last season. You could see him get more comfortable with his role in the defense with each week.
Unfortunately, his season was ended prematurely when he suffered a non-contact knee injury in the final game of the regular-season, tearing his ACL. There has been some speculation on Thornhill’s recovery timeline, but now we have word from the man himself on when he expects to be ready to return to play.
During an autograph signing on Wednesday, Thornhill told reporters that he anticipates being ready to go by training camp.
“Finally got my full range of motion,” Thornhill said. “They say I should be ready for camp. That’s always good news. But I feel like, for the most part, everything is going pretty well.”
While the training camp schedule for 2020 has yet to be released, it typically begins late July. I’d expect Saturday, Aug. 1 to be the start date this year. It’s not clear if Thornhill would be ready at the onset of camp, but any work that he could get in before the start of the regular season would be ideal.
Thornhill could be a driving factor in the Chiefs’ ability to repeat as Super Bowl champions. He had to watch the postseason from the sidelines and even though he’s still a Super Bowl champion, Thornhill wants to experience playing in the game himself.
“It’s always special when you’re a Super Bowl champion so I can’t complain about that,” Thornhill said. “But at the same time, I’m super hungry to get back out there because I want to get back to a Super Bowl and actually be able to play in that game because this is a dream of mine that I’ve always had as a kid.”
If Thornhill returns to form, he’ll have a chance to help the team get to Super Bowl LV and live out his childhood dream.