Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson must prove one specific thing to Steve Spagnuolo if he's to return from injury for Texans playoff game
The Kansas City Chiefs are hopeful that starting CB Jaylen Watson will be able to return from injured reserve for the divisional round of the playoffs against the Houston Texans. It's not certain that it'll happen just yet, but things are trending that way. Watson was designated to return to practice just ahead of Week 18's game. […]
The Kansas City Chiefs are hopeful that starting CB Jaylen Watson will be able to return from injured reserve for the divisional round of the playoffs against the Houston Texans.
It's not certain that it'll happen just yet, but things are trending that way. Watson was designated to return to practice just ahead of Week 18's game. He's participated in practice with no setbacks to this point as he looks to return from a fracture where his leg and ankle meet. Things got off to a good start this week when Watson participated fully in practice on Tuesday. As Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo explained to reporters on Wednesday morning, there was a caveat to his practice participation to start the week.
"So, he's been out there a little," Spagnuolo said of Watson. "You know, we had last week, those couple of practices. He had yesterday because yesterday was a no-helmets practice, which was a little bit different."
Kansas City's practice is expected to intensify throughout the week, but what exactly does Spags need to see from Watson to feel comfortable about his return? It's all about the speed with which he can play and react.
"He and I spoke about this morning," Spags continued. "I think these next two days will be really important because, hopefully, we're going to get outside here with helmets and at least shells on. He needs to get up to the speed of the game. And it's not regular-season speed, right? It's playoff speed. So, we'll see where we're at and make a good decision at the end of the week."
The team practiced outside on Wednesday, and Watson participated during the early portion of practice, which was open to media members. Chiefs Digest's Matt Derrick got a good shot of him at practice.
Ultimately, it will come down to whether Watson can prove to the coaching and training staff that he's ready for playoff speed. He won't have the luxury of a regular-season game to ease himself back into the game's speed, so he'll need to show it over the next two practice sessions.
Chiefs sign underutilized ex-Jets wide receiver to the practice squad ahead of divisional round game vs. Texans
The Kansas City Chiefs are adding another receiver to the practice squad.
