Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill missed the entire postseason run after tearing his ACL during Week 17’s victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The young defensive back has been quietly rehabbing since the injury, but some promising news has been revealed regarding his status for next season.
According to NFL Network’s James Palmer, the 24-year old is recovering quickly and should be on the field to begin the 2020 NFL season. Thornhill had a strong rookie campaign starting all sixteen regular-season games at Safety alongside All-Pro Tyrann Mathieu. Thornhill’s stats included three interceptions and a touchdown before ultimately being lost for the playoffs.
The Chiefs are on a mission to retain the core defensive players from last season in hopes of replicating the efficiency that helped push the team to a championship. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s first season on the job provided an increase in productivity for the unit, finishing as one of the best in the league by the end of 2019. Thornhill’s early return by the start of the new season will only help general manager Brett Veach’s overall plan.
