Chiefs Tease Starter's Return With Roster Move Before Playoffs

The Kansas City Chiefs are currently on a bye, waiting to find out their Divisional Round opponent. That said, they have already begun prepping for their next matchup, no matter who it ends up being against.

On Friday, the Chiefs placed defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu on the Reserve/Injured list. This move opens up a roster spot for a few other Chiefs to return from injury heading into the playoffs. Cornerback Jaylen Watson and wide receiver Mecole Hardman are among the top candidates to be activated.

Chiefs Free Up Roster Spot for Potential Jaylen Watson/Mecole Hardman Playoff Return

Watson has been out since Week 7 when he sustained a broken fibula/tibia against the San Francisco 49ers. Following the injury, multiple reports said Watson would likely miss the rest of the season, but could also potentially return for the playoffs.

The latter of that statement seemed more and more true with each social media post that Watson made. Nevertheless, Chiefs fans received the biggest sign Watson could return in the playoffs when he was designated to return from injured reserve on January 3.

Hardman, on the other hand, was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury leading up to the Chiefs Week 14 Sunday night showdown with the Chargers. While any player being placed on injured reserve is sad to see, Hardman's injury wasn't as significant of a blow to the Chiefs as Watson's was.

Watson's absence from the lineup has severely hurt the Chiefs' pass defense, but the Chiefs offense wasn't really impacted by Hardman's injury. Both Chiefs fans and the team would likely rather see Watson make a return, but if Hardman returned instead, it would still be a positive.

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