ST. JOSEPH, Mo. _ Safety Jordan Lucas was the first player to appear, walking down the path through cheering fans to the Chiefs' practice field.
"MVP" chants greeted quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and later the fans let out whoops for Chris Jones, the defensive lineman who didn't participate in offseason workouts with the Chiefs while negotiating a new contract.
But perhaps the loudest cheers went to another player who hadn't been with the team in months.
"Ty-reek! Ty-reek! Ty-reek!"
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill seemed to feed on the energy as he made his way to the turf. He jogged, pumped his fists and high stepped. Nobody seemed more eager to take the field than Hill.
In April, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach announced that Hill had been suspended from team activities as a result of a child abuse investigation. The All-Pro wide receiver missed OTAs and mini-camp.
Two weeks ago, the NFL announced that Hill would not be disciplined because he did not violate the league's personal conduct policy.
After practice, Hill stopped to sign autographs and once again was greeted by fans chanting his name.
"Yes, I did too," said Tonya Navarro of Emporia, Kan., who took in practice. "We were pretty devastated for a few months there. We're fans, and we're glad to see him back. I hope he has a great year."
During a short practice, Hill flashed his familiar skills. He dashed past rookie cornerback Rashad Fenton for a deep reception and hauled in two more long balls from Patrick Mahomes.
"He liked it did some good things, a couple of nice grabs," coach Andy Reid said.
The crowd of 8,000 was the largest ever for a practice at the facility and marked only the second time in the last decade the Chiefs have trained here that the parking lots couldn't hold all the traffic. Cars were parked on the grass. The bleachers were full and so was the hill behind the end zones. Fans stood shoulder to shoulder, two deep in some places, along the fence.
