Mahomes practicing, says ankle not an issue

Patrick Mahomes strolled through Arrowhead Stadium without any issues with his injured right ankle on Thursday, and the Chiefs quarterback expects to practice fully in the next 10 days leading up to the Super Bowl.

Mahomes sprained the ankle during the divisional round against the Jaguars, and he was clearly hobbled in last Sunday night’s AFC championship win over the Bengals. But despite taking a couple of hard shots during that game, and his mad dash in the closing seconds to set up the winning field goal, Mahomes came out of it feeling just fine.

The Chiefs sustained a number of other injuries during their 23-20 win over the Bengals, though. They lost three wide receivers — Mecole Hardman (pelvis), JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle) — as well as cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (concussion protocol) and Willie Gay Jr. (shoulder).

Gay was the only one that returned to practice on an unseasonably mild

February day in Kansas City.

Coach Andy Reid did say that Toney did the morning walk-through and “he’s close and doing well,” while Smith-Schuster “is in a good place . ... We’re very optimistic right now.”

The news wasn’t as positive for Hardman, who first hurt his abdominal area in November.

Reid also said there’s a possibility backup running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, their 2020 firstround pick, will be activated for the game.

College football: Texas Tech WR Ainias Smith will return for a fifth season. Smith missed the majority of the 2022 season after suffering a leg fracture during a game against Arkansas in September. He had been the Aggies’ leading receiver before the injury . ... North Carolina coach Mack Brown, 71, agreed to a one-year contract extension tthrough the 2027 season. The financial terms are the same from the extension he received a year ago, which included a new salary of $5 million per season.