KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes has informed the team that he intends to report to training camp Saturday.
"In my conversation with Priest, he was excited about playing," Peterson said in a news release.
Peterson said the 33-year-old Holmes might be placed on the physically unable to perform list initially to gauge his conditioning and to see how he feels after noncontact drills. He has not played since Oct. 30, 2005, when he was injured by a hit by linebacker Shawne Merriman in a game at San Diego. The hit left him with head and neck trauma, diagnosed by three spinal specialists.
"I have said many times that I would never count this player out like so many did after his hip surgery," Peterson said, referring to an injury Holmes had in 2002 that prompted the Chiefs to take Larry Johnson with their first pick in the 2003 draft. "He's a very unique human being."
Peterson said the team would "take it slow" to see how well Holmes was doing, "but there's no question that if Priest Holmes is close to what he was before his injury, he'll make a significant impact on the offensive side of the football," Peterson said.
Holmes was cleared to play after being examined by the team's orthopedic doctors in Miami, Kuhbander said.
The 5-foot-9, 213-pound Holmes spent 2006 on the physically unable to perform list. Since joining the Chiefs in 2001, Holmes ranks first in the NFL in averaging 97.3 yards per game and 136 yards from scrimmage.
