Chiefs’ Jaylen Watson returns to practice from injury. Will he be back for playoffs?
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson unexpectedly returned to practice Friday, providing some hope he might be available during KC’s postseason run.
Watson fractured an ankle in the Chiefs’ Week 6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, with the team fearing that he was out for the season.
Since then, though, Watson has made steady progress — so much so that the Chiefs opened up his 21-day practice window; Watson must return during that span to play again this season.
“He’s really done well coming back,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after practice Friday. “I’m curious to see how he did today, and how he felt. But he was out there till the end and moving around pretty good, from what I saw.”
Watson’s quick healing even surprised Reid a bit. When asked earlier this week about Watson, Reid said he “potentially” could come back at some point, before qualifying that statement.
“I mean, potentially,” Reid said Monday of Watson’s chances of a return this season. “That would be stretching it.”
Reid said Friday that seeing Watson working out around the facility lately provided some reason for optimism.
“He’d been doing so well that I figured that he’d be out there giving it a whirl,” Reid said. “I didn’t know what I would see out there (at practice), and I’m still not sure exactly, other than times I looked at him, he was moving around pretty good. So will be curious to see how he feels here after this practice and into tomorrow.”
The Chiefs initially selected Watson in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Before his injury this season, the third-year pro had solidified himself as the team’s second cornerback alongside Trent McDuffie with six passes defended and 32 tackles in six games.
Since Watson’s departure, KC has struggled with consistency, with Nazeeh Johnson, Joshua Williams, and Keith Taylor rotating through that CB2 position.
Friday’s development doesn’t guarantee Watson will be back this season. The Chiefs will need to gauge how his ankle responds and also work to get him back into game shape.
However, his potential to play this season seems likelier this week than last. And if Watson becomes an option, it would only strengthen a Chiefs roster that has steadily gotten healthier over the last few weeks.
