Kansas City Chiefs rookie safety Juan Thornhill had surgery to repair his knee injury today according to his personal Instagram page.

Thornhill suffered a torn ACL in the Chiefs’ Week 17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. It was an abrupt end to a really strong rookie season by Thornhill. He finished the season with 56 total tackles, five passes defended, three interceptions and allowed just 0.22 yards per coverage snap according to PFF.

His performance in 2019 earned him honors on the PFF All-Rookie team and the PFWA All-Rookie team. Thornhill is also a strong candidate to become the Chiefs’ Mack Lee Hill award winner for the 2019 season, which is an award handed out to exemplary rookie or first-year players.

Now that Thornhill had his surgery, the road to recovery can begin.

“Surgery went well and the road to greatness starts today,” Thornhill wrote on Instagram.

The average recovery time on an ACL injury with no accompanying damage ranges anywhere from six to nine months. It really varies from player to player, with some healing more quickly than others. If Thornhill happens to be on the shorter side of the recovery timeline, he could be ready for the preseason and the end of training camp. In all likelihood, he’ll start off on the physically unable to perform list for Chiefs, allowing adequate time for him to get ready for the 2020 season.