Motivated Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill plans to be back from injury for training camp
As the Chiefs work to shape their 2020 roster — a molding that commences with the NFL’s opening of free agency next week — they will operate knowing the back end of their defense is set.
Even Juan Thornhill.
Thornhill, whose sparkling rookie year ended with a torn ACL in the regular-season finale, said team doctors expect him to return in time for the Chiefs’ summer training camp. He has been told he will be eased — not rushed — back into the fold alongside Tyrann Mathieu during camp.
“It’s going pretty good. Finally got my full range of motion,” Thornhill said. “They say I should be ready for camp. That’s always good news.”
Thornhill, who started all 16 regular-season games in 2019, is enduring the first serious injury of his athletic career, a background that includes a childhood of football and basketball games.
In a world in which no injury comes at an opportune time, this one felt particularly cruel. Thornhill’s NFL introduction left him wide-eyed for a few weeks, but he’d caught up to the speed of the game. He became more familiar with the defense, more content with his own role within it. That allowed him to play freely.
Thornhill finished the season with 57 tackles. He intercepted three passes and returned one of them for a 46-yard touchdown in a December win against the Raiders. Mathieu earned NFL defensive player of the month honors in December after he’d moved closer to the line of scrimmage, an adjustment made only as the Chiefs grew comfortable with Thornhill occupying the back end.
Then it was over in a flash. While blitzing on a play against the L.A. Chargers, Thornhill fell to the ground without contact.
“Once it happened, I felt the pop, and I pretty much knew it immediately,” he said.
The Chiefs marched on without him, winning their first Super Bowl in 50 years. Thornhill watched their initial two playoff games from Dallas, where he underwent successful surgery on the left knee.
In Miami, as the Chiefs stormed back in the fourth quarter to beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, Thornhill sat in the stands with his girlfriend, surrounded by screaming fans. He stayed quiet most of the game — nervous about its outcome, upset he couldn’t influence it.
“It definitely hurt me a lot,” he said. “I definitely wanted to be out there, especially as a rookie. That’s anyone’s dream — to play in the Super Bowl. But at the same time, I was really happy that my team got there and that we won the Super Bowl.”
He’s marking the occasion anyway. Shortly after the Super Bowl, Thornhill ordered a necklace with the Super Bowl “LIV” emblem as its charm. It arrived to weeks ago, and he’s rarely taken it off.
“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. I want to get back to a Super Bowl and actually be able to play in that game. It’s a dream of mine that I’ve always had as a kid.”