4 Chiefs Who Could Be Benched in Second Half of Season

These four Kansas City Chiefs players are at risk of being benched if they don't step up their performance in the 2024 season's second half.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia (76) walks down the hill from the locker room to the fields prior to training camp at Missouri Western State University. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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2. Justin Watson, WR

If you haven't noticed much of Justin Watson this season, you likely aren't the only one. The former 2018 fifth-rounder has had issues leaving a mark in the passing game, hauling in only 15 catches for 177 receiving yards without a touchdown in his first nine games.

Watson's performance is only made worse by the fact that it came after he posted a career-best 27-460-3 stat line in 16 games last season. That's without mentioning how he went from having seven 40-plus-yard performances in 2023 to just one in 2024, which didn't even happen until Week 9.

If Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown, and JuJu Smith-Schuster didn't miss a chunk of time this season, there's a chance that Watson wouldn't even be in the lineup at this point. He's done very little to help the Chiefs win games despite playing at least 69% of offensive snaps in each of the last five games.

With his 30th birthday approaching in April, it's likely that Watson is who he is at this point and his 2023 performance may have just been a fluke. If he can't figure out how to capitalize on his chances, the coaching staff may opt to bench him and give someone else an opportunity to step up.

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