The Facts: Mahomes' journey toward his second Super Bowl ring in 2022 featured a high ankle sprain he suffered during last season's AFC Championship Game versus Cincinnati. The 27-year-old wunderkind persevered through the injury, sprinting toward a game-clinching first down to help beat the Bengals late, and then again in Super Bowl LVII after aggravating his ankle before leading an epic second-half comeback. The two-time Super Bowl MVP says the ankle "feels great" with training camp practices set to begin next week.

Diehards Line:"I think even going into OTAs a little bit, I was still a little timid about running and cutting and doing stuff like that," Mahomes said of the ankle. "But when I got closer to that minicamp and that later OTA stage, I got the confidence back in my ankle. I'm sure I'm not gonna be running a lot right now, but we'll be testing it a lot, especially in these half-gassers. So, I'll make sure that it's ready to go, and I think I'm in a good spot with it. ..." Meanwhile, the rest of the AFC has done its due diligence to keep up with Kansas City's success. From perennial contenders like Buffalo and Cincinnati fortifying their rosters to the Jets going all in to bring aboard Aaron Rodgers and Baltimore revamping its offense for Lamar Jackson this offseason, the Chiefs are preparing for a gauntlet in 2023 and Mahomes is ready for the challenge. One presenting Mahomes with new challenges during the throes of summer is none other than Andy Reid, who enters his 11th season as Chiefs head coach. "He has a new way of challenging me, it seems like, every day," Mahomes said of Reid. Fortunately, it doesn't appear the ankle will be one of those challenges.