Cleveland Browns safety Juan Thornhill hoping to see Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City return

BEREA — Juan Thornhill and Patrick Mahomes spent four years as teammates with the Kansas City Chiefs. That's a whole lot of practice reps against each other.

It's a whole lot of chances for Thornhill to get a front-row seat to some of what makes Mahomes arguably the greatest active quarterback in the NFL.

"Practice, you'll see some crazy stuff from Pat," the Browns safety said Tuesday. "Like when y'all see the no look passes on TV in a game, it's just amplified when you're in practice. It is like he's just trying to really test it out to see if he can do it and everything. And there's videos of him throwing behind-the-back passes. That's a real thing in practice."

There was another thing that was a real thing in practice. It's probably not something that will be on Mahomes' accomplishments page when he eventually goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

However, going against each other that many times means ample chances for Thornhill to get his hands on Mahomes passes. Many of those chances turned into honest-to-goodness real (practice) interceptions.

"It depends on the year," Thornhill said. "Some years I'm getting him a lot and then some years he's getting me. There was one year, I know I got him almost every day, honestly. I think it might've been my rookie season. I led the team in interceptions (in camp) by far."

If Thornhill gets his hands on a Mahomes pass this week, it won't officially count toward the eight he's already snagged in his NFL career, either. The former Chiefs safety is heading back to Kansas City this weekend, where he's expected to play with most of the Browns starters when they close out the preseason against the Super Bowl champions.

Thornhill was on two Chiefs teams to win Super Bowls, and a third to play in one after being taken by the team in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. However, after reaching free agency this spring, he signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Browns.

"I mean, I kind of had a sense that it was a chance that I would be moving on," Thornhill said. "They drafted a guy Bryan Cook in the second round (in 2022), and as the year went on, I just saw him getting better and better each and every week. I just saw him keep on just steadily just making plays. So I knew that OK, this guy's not going to stay here and play behind me for another three years if I sign back, because this guy's ready to play right now."

About the only question in his Kansas City return is whether or not Thornhill will get a chance to get his mitts on a Mahomes pass. As one who's quite familiar with the way the Chiefs handle their business in the preseason, he's expecting to get at least a brief look at two-time reigning NFL MVP Saturday.

"I do," Thornhill said. "I mean, I think with Coach (Andy) Reid, he has the history of letting guys play that last game, usually like a half or something, but I don't think Pat will play that much. He'll probably play a couple reps, hopefully we get back there to him a little bit and Coach Reid gets a little scared and takes him out."

The Chiefs played Mahomes and most of their regulars for a significant amount of time during this past weekend's second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. Mahomes started and played 20 snaps while completing 10-of-15 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Among some of the other Kansas City stars, tight end Travis Kelce played 16 snaps and the starting offensive line played 27 snaps together. Safety Justin Reid played 15 snaps, which is in the range that most of the Chiefs' defensive starters played.

The only indication Reid has given about potential playing time has revolved around injured running back Isaiah Pacheco. Reid indicated that, if healthy, the back may see a handful of carries.

"I mean, the more reps you get, the better," Thornhill said. "So the first game you're basically just trying to get your feet wet a little bit and then that last game you're out there a little bit longer because you're preparing for the regular season. So if you're playing a full half, you might get like 20, 25 reps or something like that. So that's his main reason behind that is getting guys reps."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Juan Thornhill hoping to see Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City return