The Kansas City Chiefs traded cornerback L’Jarius Sneed this offseason, leaving a rather big hole opposite of Trent McDuffie. However, head coach Andy Reid believes the Chiefs may have the answer internally.
His name is Jaylen Watson.
Watson had been sidelined with a shoulder injury, but is now back practicing with his teammates. Reid says that Watson will still have a chance to grab the starting job.
“We got some guys that can play,” Reid said, via the Chiefs’ official YouTube account. “We need to see Jaylen get out there; if he can play, then he’ll play and see where he’s at. Some of those other guys have grown and shown some good stuff. We’ll just see how it goes. It might be a committee over there, but there is some talent there.”
Watson played in 16 games last season, finishing with 33 tackles, a couple of sacks and six passes defended.
The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Washington State and Ventura College, was selected by Kansas City in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Watson appeared in 16 contests during his rookie campaign, registering 49 tackles, an interception, six passes defended and a defensive touchdown.
Who are the contenders for the Chiefs’ open starting cornerback spot?
We know that McDuffie will be starting for the Chiefs, but who will occupy the other cornerback role?
Watson is obviously a prime candidate so long as he can get healthy, but Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson also appear to be legitimate contenders.
Williams is actually currently listed as a starter on Kansas City’s depth chart, but that probably has quite a bit to do with Watson missing time and is subject to change.
The Chiefs selected Williams in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Williams had a rather limited role last season, logging 18 tackles and five passes defended.
Meanwhile, Johnson is dealing with a hamstring injury of his own. The 2022 seventh-round pick was also sidelined all of last season with a torn ACL and participated in just 11 games during his rookie year, totaling eight tackles. Chances are, he will be on the outside looking in.
The starting job will probably come down to Watson and Williams, and while the Chiefs may prefer Watson, it will be hard for them to justify giving him the position if he is unable to get fully healthy before Week 1.
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