Chiefs Officially Expect Injured Stud to Return vs. Texans

The Kansas City Chiefs officially have no new injuries heading into Saturday's divisional-round matchup against the Houston Texans. That said, they did have a major decision to make on who they were going to activate off of injured reserve to return to their 53-man roster. The two players Kansas City had to choose between were wide receiver Mecole Hardman and cornerback Jaylen Watson.

Evidently, the Chiefs seem to have decided which player will return to the starting lineup against Houston following practice on Thursday. According to Nate Taylor of the Athletic, Jaylen Watson is expected to return on Saturday.

Chiefs News: Jaylen Watson is expected to make his return on Saturday vs. Texans

Watson has missed most of the 2024 season after suffering a broken tibia/fibula in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to his injury, Watson was shaping up to be a solid CB2 next to Trent McDuffie. In Watson's absence, the Chiefs defensive backfield has struggled throughout the season.

In the 6.5 games that Watson played this season, he recorded 32 tackles, six pass deflections, and possessed a completion percentage of 53.3%. That start matches up with the elite cornerbacks in the NFL.

It's safe to say that the Chiefs organization and fans are happy to have him back for the playoffs.

Even so, Watson returning this week is a calculated risk. With Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell out, Houston only really has one true threat out wide, Nico Collins.

The smart move would be to put Trent McDuffie on Collins since he has played all season. Watson will likely be rusty after missing 10.5 games, so matching him up against Collins could cause issues.

Allowing Watson to rest one more week could have been beneficial to his leg. Nevertheless, Watson playing this week allows him to get back into the flow of things entering the two biggest games of the season, given the Chiefs beat the Texans.

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