Late in the fourth quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs' win over the Denver Broncos in primetime on Thursday Night Football, the team watched wide receiver Justin Watson attempt to pull in a deep throw from Patrick Mahomes that was slightly out of reach. On his way to the ground, he landed awkwardly on his arm and was instantly taken off the field to seek medical attention.
Early tests showed that something was wrong, and although x-rays were negative for a bone fracture, further tests and examinations on Friday have revealed that Watson will likely miss multiple games due to a dislocated shoulder injury.
NFL reporter Ian Rapoport has word on the extent of the injury and what is known at this point saying, "He's out a few weeks at least, and it could be longer based on the results of the scans." The scans refer to an MRI he's getting on Friday as well.
The Kansas City Chiefs will be without one of their most surprisingly valuable sparkplugs on offense for some time.
Watson has been a surprising sparkplug for the Chiefs offense in 2023 with an eye-popping 21-plus yards per catch average—a total of 219 yards on only 10 catches on the season. While he's hardly a volume target, he clearly has Mahomes's trust as a downfield threat who can create separation and/or come down with the contested catch.
The Chiefs will be without Watson for numerous weeks and perhaps even longer, but his future with the team should remain certain—at least for another year. Remember he signed a two-year deal in the offseason after originally landing a single-season deal in free agency in 2022 after playing out his rookie contract in full with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Watson set or matched several career marks in limited duty last season for the Chiefs with 15 catches for 315 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.
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