There was an unexpected bit of Kansas City Chiefs news as the team began taking the practice field on January 3, and it’s definitely a positive sign for the upcoming playoff run.
“Breaking: The Chiefs are designating CB Jaylen Watson to return from IR, and he will practice today, sources tell @NFLonFOX,” FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz reported on X. “This is a huge boost for Kansas City, who has been without Watson since late October due to a broken fibula. He and Trent McDuffie are one of the best CB duos in the league and KC could now have him back just in time for the postseason.”
Watson’s return to practice was also confirmed by The Athletic’s Chiefs correspondent, Nate Taylor.
In a follow-up post, Schultz noted that “Jaylen Watson has been pushing very hard behind the scenes with the Chiefs’ training staff to get back on the field for the playoffs.” He included a video clip from Watson’s Instagram account.
This is huge news for Kansas City’s defense, being that they’ve struggled to fill the L’Jarius Sneed-sized void at cornerback with Watson sidelined. Having said that, there’s still no clear timeline as to when the former seventh-round breakout might retake the field in a live NFL game.
Jaylen Watson Is Way Ahead of Schedule According to Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s Most Recent Injury Update
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is set to address the media on January 3, as he does every Friday — although he has not spoken yet at the time of this article’s publishing.
Breaking news update: On January 3, Reid was asked about Watson’s sudden progression.
“He’s really done well coming back,” the Chiefs coach replied. “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 potential playoff availability is a bit of a shock based Reid’s update earlier this week. As recently as December 30, the Chiefs HC told reporters that there was a small chance that the starting cornerback could return for a portion of the postseason, but he classified Watson as more of a longshot than a sure thing.
“That would be stretching it though I think,” Reid said, regarding Watson’s potential playoff return.
What a difference a few days can make! Reid also hinted that wide receiver Mecole Hardman could make a playoff comeback on December 30, and his practice window was opened on January 1.
It’ll be interesting to see if either Watson or Hardman are activated for the Chiefs’ initial postseason outing — following the first-round bye — or if their earliest availability would come sometime after that.
Chiefs Kingdom Reacts to Jaylen Watson Update: ‘Biggest News of the Season’
As you can imagine, the KC community was hyped about Watson’s return to practice.
FOX Sports One host and avid Chiefs fan Nick Wright boldly stated that this “could legitimately be the biggest news of the season.” Reasoning: “When Jaylen Watson plays over the past 2 years, KC has the best defense in the NFL, hands down.”
To Wright’s point, The 33rd Team backed his claim up with a very telling statistic, relaying: “Jaylen Watson’s return is a big boost for the Chiefs’ defense 🔒. Opposing QBs complete 60.8% of passes against KC when Watson is on the field, vs 66.6% completion when Watson is absent.”
“Watson was literally KC’s third-best defender before he got hurt this year,” SINow and KC Sports Network’s Matt Verderame reacted on X. “Just an enormous lift.”
Popular fan account ‘how bout those CHIEFS’ also commented: “HOLY SMOKES.”
And Kent Swanson of KC Sports Network simply said: “Wow.”
Finally, among many other reactions, KC sports radio 610 host Ron Hughley wrote: “This is enormous news for the Chiefs… they’ve seemingly weathered the backend coverage storm… but if [Watson is] healthy he changes things confidence wise for [defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] to do anything he wants to defensively.”
