Breaking down KC Chiefs key injuries from Week 11

Jaylen Watson, cornerback, hand

We’ve already discussed the youth at cornerback on display for the Chiefs this year when looking at the Juan Thornhill injury. One factor that could further exacerbate the needs in the secondary could be the late-game hand injury of Chiefs rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson.

Watson has already made good on the team’s investment in him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft when he returned an interception 99 yards from Justin Herbert in the second week of the season. In that instance, Watson’s late-game heroics were directly responsible for a come-from-behind win over the Chargers–a win that set the course for the team’s divisional dominance in a new year.

Since then, the Chiefs have inserted Watson into the starting rotation for reps outside in a cornerbacks group that waited for weeks for Trent McDuffie to show he was healthy. While he’s since been relegated to rotational reps in sub packages, Watson is a solid depth piece still learning the ropes as part of an exciting young secondary.

Head coach Andy Reid simply stated that the Chiefs would have to wait and see what happens with Watson’s hand injury going forward. However, the team already traded Rashad Fenton only a few weeks ago and if they have to play without Watson, too, things could get really thin with Juan Thornhill also ailing for Kansas City.