NEW YORK — As an NFL offseason of recovery and ramp-up nears its end, Patrick Mahomes is right where he hoped to be.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback believes he’s on track to start Week 1 against the Denver Broncos at home on Sept. 14, which would be exactly nine months after he tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee.

“This has always been the plan,” Mahomes, 30, said this week. “Be ready for training camp, get all the reps in training camp, prepare your body that way, so when you get to Week 1, you’re ready to play the game.”

This will be the first time in Mahomes’ career that he doesn’t appear in a preseason game, as head coach Andy Reid announced Wednesday that the three-time Super Bowl champion would not suit up for Friday’s finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

But Mahomes is encouraged that he’s been able to hit every benchmark since undergoing surgery on Dec. 15, the day after his injury.

“I haven’t missed any reps. Getting to go out there, day after day, and have the grind of a camp, that can even be harder than the season,” Mahomes said.

“It’s been awesome for me to be able to go out there and do that. It’s exciting. I didn’t know if I was going to have to take days off, but my body’s responded the right way.”

Mahomes passed for 3,587 yards and 22 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 14 games last season while rushing for 422 yards and five scores.

Despite that production, the Chiefs went 6-11 and missed the playoffs after Super Bowl berths in each of the previous three years.

The Chiefs hope to return to glory this year, as evidenced by an aggressive offseason in which they signed Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III, traded up to draft cornerback Mansoor Delane with the No. 6 overall pick and re-signed stalwart tight end Travis Kelce.

But the Chiefs will go only as far as Mahomes takes them — and by all accounts, his dogged rehabilitation has gone smoothly.

“As long as I can continue to go out there and feel good and trust my body, and be able to go out there and be myself, I think I’m gonna be good to go,” Mahomes said.

Donald watch

The NFL waits to see whether Aaron Donald will unretire and rejoin the Rams. So, too, do the Rams.

Head coach Sean McVay said the Rams are evaluating a version of their 53-man roster that includes the 35-year-old defensive tackle, as well as a version that does not.

Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, hasn’t played since the 2023 season but has worked out with the Rams multiple times since the start of the training camp as he considers a comeback.

“Whenever a decision is made, if that is the direction he goes where he wants to play, then we have plans accordingly,” McVay said. “And if not, we have plans for those as well.”

NFL teams must cut down their rosters to 53 players by Sunday, though it’s possible Donald could join the Rams later in the season. The Rams are set to open the season against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia before hosting the Giants in Week 2.

Should he return, Donald would further elevate a fearsome defensive front that added defensive end Myles Garrett — a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year — this offseason.

Injury updates

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase both endured injury scares this week, though neither appears to be serious.

Jeanty, 22, was reportedly helped off the field, unable to put pressure on his right leg, at Sunday’s practice after a diving attempt for a low pass resulted in him landing awkwardly.

The tense scene ended with teammates taking a knee and praying for Jeanty, but ESPN and NFL Network reported the second-year standout suffered an ankle sprain that is not considered a long-term issue.

Head coach Klint Kubiak declined to go into specifics but said Jeanty is “on the mend.”

Chase, meanwhile, tweaked his left knee when he went for a high pass at Tuesday’s practice.

The star receiver eventually limped off the field under his own power, then described the issue as a minor hyperextension.

“I was trying to go practice today,” Chase, 26, told reporters. “I was trying to get back in, y’all. I promise.”

Chase, who had 125 catches for 1,412 yards last year, remained out of practice Wednesday.

Jacobs contingency

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged Wednesday that the team has been “preparing” in case running back Josh Jacobs is suspended at any point this season.

Jacobs was arrested in May on domestic violence charges. On Thursday, Jacobs was charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property.

“We’ve obviously been preparing for that in case that happens,” Gutekunst said. “But at the same time, I feel really good about the guys we’ve got in that room and I think we could survive it.”

Jacobs, 28, rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns in 15 games last season.

Next up on the Packers’ depth chart is MarShawn Lloyd, a third-year running back who dealt with injuries throughout his first two seasons.

Lloyd, a former third-round pick, has impressed this offseason, though Gutekunst did not rule out adding another running back to the mix as well.

Deshaun decision

The biggest story of the week remained the Cleveland Browns’ controversial decision to name Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback over second-year passer Shedeur Sanders.

Watson, 30, has not appeared in a regular-season game since October 2024, when he suffered the first of two right Achilles tears. The second one — a re-rupture of that Achilles tendon in January 2025 — required a second surgery.

The Browns traded three first-round picks to acquire Watson from the Houston Texans before the 2022 season, then signed the three-time Pro Bowler to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

Before the trade, a Texas grand jury declined to seek criminal charges against Watson, who was accused by more two dozen women of misconduct during massage sessions.

But Watson served an 11-game suspension in 2022 before he made his Browns debut, then played poorly — totaling a 9-10 record and an 80.7 passer rating — in parts of three seasons before his injury.

Last year, Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam described the Watson trade as a “big swing-and-miss.” Watson was booed during Saturday’s preseason loss at home, which he described as “disrespectful” and “personal” in a press conference that ignited backlash.

Still, the Browns named Watson — who is entering the final year of his contract — their Week 1 starter over Sanders, the 24-year-old son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders.

“I took in the full body of work over the course of [the] offseason, to training camp, to the games, to joint practice, and ultimately felt like to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points,” head coach Todd Monken said.

Sanders was a fifth-round pick in 2025 after a shocking slide down the draft board. He went 3-4 with seven touchdown passes against 10 interceptions in seven starts as a rookie.

©2026 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.