Fourth-year Kansas City Chiefs S Juan Thornhill has some lofty expectations for his 2022 campaign.
The past two seasons didn’t quite go the way that Thornhill had hoped. During his 2020 season, he was coming off of a season-ending injury suffered in the final regular-season game of 2019. He would only start eight games that season as a result of the injury. In 2021, Thornhill didn’t take over as a starter for Daniel Sorensen and play a majority of the snaps for the Chiefs until Week 6.
Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Thornhill expects big things for himself.
“I’ve got high expectations, it’s as simple as that,” Thornhill told reporters. “I’m planning on playing my best football by far, being at the top of my game. And I’m expecting an All-Pro season. I’m saying that right now.”
The only season where Thornhill even put up close to All-Pro numbers was his rookie year, where he posted 58 total tackles, three interceptions, five passes defended and a defensive touchdown. Having an All-Pro year in 2022 would be quite the heel turn for his career after two down seasons.
Thornhill says has recovered from the injury that seemingly limited him the past two years, both mentally and physically. He’s extremely confident in his abilities heading into the new year and it doesn’t just seem to be because of the contract year, but also because of his health.
“I’m all the way back,” Thornhill said. “If you’re out there watching me right now, I’m flying around. I’m not thinking about the knee at all. My confidence is on a high and I feel like I can run and compete with anybody on the field. Like I said before, I’m going to have an All-Pro season. I’m putting it out there and if y’all want to take that down, record it, it doesn’t matter. I’m committed to doing that.”
Thornhill later triple-downed on his prediction, posting the following on Twitter:
— The_Juan_And_Only (@Juan_Thornhill) June 14, 2022
Only time will tell if Thornhill is up for the challenge, but there’s nothing wrong with a little confidence during the offseason.
