Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has a new injury to manage in Week 4.
Ahead of the Week 4 Sunday Night Football matchup with the New York Jets, A-to-Z Sports KC media member Charles Goldman relayed that Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson was “added to the group of players not practicing” on Thursday, September 28.
According to the Chiefs, via Goldman, Watson is dealing with a shoulder injury. He’ll join linebacker Nick Bolton (ankle) and tight end Noah Gray (illness) — who had previously been the only two Kansas City players that were unable to practice in Week 4 outside of offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (placed on injured reserve).
Watson has been relegated into a backup role in 2023 with just 51 defensive snaps over the first three games according to Pro Football Focus. L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie are the clear starters at the position at this time, with fellow 2022 draft pick Joshua Williams locking down the CB3 job for now.
Having said that, Watson is still key depth for KC. The Chiefs are thin at cornerback on the 53-man roster with rookie Nic Jones as the only player behind the top four. If they need some more help on Sunday, Kansas City could elevate undrafted rookie Ekow Boye-Doe or Indianapolis Colts draft pick Darius Rush from the practice squad. Boye-Doe impressed during training camp and the preseason, while Rush displayed plus-potential in the draft.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Provides Update on LB Nick Bolton & WR Kadarius Toney Ahead of Week 4 vs. Jets
On Wednesday, September 27, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided an extremely brief update on Bolton — who missed a start in Week 3 for the first time since his rookie campaign in 2021.
“Bolton is still recovering from the ankle sprain,” Big Red noted without going into much detail after that. He was officially listed as a “did not participate” later that day and should have the same designation on September 28.
No LB Nick Bolton (ankle) or TE Blake Bell (illness) on the practice field. CB Jaylen Watson (shoulder) on the sideline but not practicing today.
Along with Watson, Gray and Bolton missing practice, defensive lineman Chris Jones was a limited participant on Wednesday, as was wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
“I just didn’t want to push the toe,” Reid stated on September 27, regarding Toney’s limited usage against the Chicago Bears. “We started him off [playing] and then I backed off him.”
“That thing is swollen up,” the Chiefs HC went on talking about Toney’s toe ailment. “We got the swelling down [and] I kind of wanted to end the game with it that way.”
As for Jones, there seems to be no concern as the superstar works his way back to his typical workload. “The Chiefs hope to play Chris Jones his typical 50-60 plays eventually as they build him up,” Arrowhead Pride media member Pete Sweeney informed Thursday on X (formerly Twitter). “Steve Spagnuolo said taking him out early this past week vs. Bears was simply a precaution with the lead.”
Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill Calls Subbing for Nick Bolton a ‘Good Challenge’
Drue Tranquill took over for Bolton in Week 3 and did a spectacular job, but the veteran admitted that it wasn’t easy while speaking with the media on September 27.
“Yeah, as a defense, away games tend to be a little bit easier,” Tranquill told reporters. “In Arrowhead [it’s] very, very loud. And so, it was a challenge for me in my first time calling the signals, you know, calling the game for the full time, you [have] gotta be good with your hand signals. So not only do you have to know verbally the checks and the communication, you have to know them all via sign language via hand signals to get to the guys. And so it was a challenge. It was a good challenge. We played well.”
Later, Tranquill talked about how he’s enjoyed playing for the Chiefs so far in 2023.
“I really love it here,” he said. “I really love the people here. I love the competitive culture and everything about it. Everything about it here is about winning, and as a player with dreams and aspirations to win, you know, the highest honor, which is the Super Bowl, it’s really cool to be a part of a culture that is driven towards that, that has done that, and that looks to do that in the future.”
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