The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Denver Broncos in Sunday’s regular season finale before the playoffs get underway.
Thanks to its 15-1 record entering Week 18, Andy Reid’s club has already locked up the AFC’s No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the postseason. In the meantime, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions have reportedly made a roster move that could give their No. 4-ranked defense a boost later in January.
According to Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Chiefs will have cornerback Jaylen Watson back at practice on Friday after designating him to return from injured reserve.
“This is a huge boost for Kansas City, who has been without Watson since late October due to a broken fibula,” Schultz wrote on X. “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.”
Per NFL rules, the team will have a 21-day practice window in which to activate the third-year defensive back to its roster or lose him for the remainder of the season.
Watson was thriving in his six starts before going down, accumulating 32 combined tackles and tying his career high with six pass deflections. The 2022 seventh-round draft pick has proven to be another one of Kansas City’s recent late-round gems, among the likes of defensive end Michael Danna (2020), guard Trey Smith (2021) and running back Isiah Pacheco (2022).
Kansas City’s defense, led by long-time defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, has been stingy all season, allowing opponents only 310.8 total yards per game. The unit also ranks No. 2 in the NFL in average points allowed at 18.0.
In a season where counting stats have been lower than usual for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ defense has been critical, as 10 of the team’s 15 wins entering Sunday have come by seven points or fewer.