Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is entering his first year as a starter. While he has high hopes for the offense’s potential, a lot of it depends on his performance. And so far during camp, he hasn’t exactly been performing too well.

However, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has tried to downplay his young quarterback’s recent struggles, saying they are necessary steps in his development.

“He had a few hiccups today,” Bieniemy said, per Adam Teicher ESPN. “But that's a part of the process. When you're young you need those hiccups because they become valuable lessons. … Would we like for him to be perfect? Yes. We'd like for him to have the highest quarterback rating ever. … He just needs to be poised under pressure.”

Mahomes himself was critical of his performance and acknowledges that he still has a long way to go in his development.

“Being able to get in and out of the huddle, calling the right plays and then not making a bad play worse is something I've got to keep getting better at,” Mahomes said. “I have to eliminate those mistakes. It's something that can be described as a learning process. Hopefully I make those mistakes now and don't make them in the game.”

The Chiefs knew what they were getting themselves into when they shipped off Alex Smith to make way for Mahomes. They’re going from one of the least turnover-prone QBs in the league in Smith to a young and inexperienced gunslinger in Mahomes who will take a lot more risks and make a lot more mistakes this season.

But they did it anyway because they see the immense potential in Mahomes. It won’t be smooth sailing at first because Mahomes still has a lot to learn about playing the position at a high level and will make his share of mistakes. But it’s better that he makes these mistakes in camp and learn from them in order to prepare himself for the regular season.

While he'll be anything but perfect this year, the hope is Mahomes can be competent enough to keep the Chiefs in contention and just continue to grow moving forward.