Chiefs: A Tale of Two Watsons
David Bell
I wanted to find a story that had some intrigue mixed in. This tale is about the players vying for a 53-Man Roster Spot. Finally, I decided on two whose stories will unfold during the 2022 NFL Season. Spoiler Alert: They both made it.
The First Watson – CB Jaylen Watson
I knew about Jaylen Watson long before Brett Veach drafted him in round 7 of the NFL Draft. He came to my attention early, and I did some film study, deciding he was worthy of a late-round draft pick. I thought he would be selected by round five, and I believe Fortune smiled on the Chiefs for being able to bring Jaylen to the Kingdom.
One thought adds to the story because it involves two rookies competing against each other, and both are now players on the Chiefs Roster. This Watson played his collegiate Football at Washington State. That seems a long way from his stomping grounds in Augusta, Georgia. He didn’t measure up at the combine for speed with a 4.51 second 40. However, his metrics show why he is succeeding with the Chiefs: He is 6’3″ – 197 lbs, arm length 32 1/4″ with large hands. He played for a good football program and fared well defending in the trial game. He was also aggressive in support of the run defense. His weight aided him greatly when stopping the run, and his length was an advantage in defending against the pass. For me, that made him an attractive late-round selection. Another thing that was an eye-catcher was that he had six takeaways in 2021 (2 INTs and 4 Fumble Recoveries). With his size and length, I thought he would add a Cornerback to match with tall WRs and TEs.
The Intriguing part is that his team faced off with Washington, from which GM Brett Veach traded up to pick 21 to select CB Trent McDuffie. The way the story plays out is that Trent McDuffie claimed bragging rights, stating that while he was at the Dub, they never lost to the Huskies. McDuffie’s 40-timed at 4.4 seconds and was also aggressive in run defense. He was the 5th rated CB in the 2022 draft.
So, there is the story of intrigue preceding Watson’s selection in round 7. On the Chiefs preseason usage, Watson showed rapid development and was moved into consideration by staff for an active Roster Spot. However, by the time cut time came down, veterans were released, and the Chiefs decided to go with 4 Rookies as Defensive Backs: Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, Joshua Williams, and Jaylen Watson.
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I’d say this about the young DBs. McDuffie and Cook were sure to be on the Active Roster. The question then came down to Williams and Watson. Williams struggled in the preseason game versus the Packers, while Jaylen was a steady performer. His preseason stats on coverage snaps were very good, and he was also challenging in run-defense support. I liked him as a college player. I think this may end up being another Veach Draft “Ace”!
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Watson #2 – WR Justin Watson
Coming out of the blue for fans, pundits, and analysts, Justin Watson’s Star’ shined brightly.
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Watson made some tough and meaningful catches in preseason. This one is a TD – see the link below!
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The above Video has several plays made after the first one vs. the Pack, including a TFL by Darius Harris and the PBU by Jaylen Watson (see “player one” of this article). Worth watching for all of it.
The Rotoballer Staff had this view of Watson after week two of the pre-season:
“Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson caught two passes for 53 yards in Saturday’s pre-season win over the Washington Commanders. Watson has been heavily involved in both of the team’s pre-season games and appears to have a pretty good shot at making Kansas City’s final Roster the fifth receiver.”
Watson only had one reception in the Packers game, but he was getting time early with Mahomes and then with Buechele in the 3rd pre-season game. The implication was that the Chiefs coaching staff saw him as at least WR #5. From Justin Carter at Rotoballer:
“The fact that Watson continues to play early in these preseason games suggests that he will be on the final Roster. In addition, his usage suggests he could end up as high as the No. 3 receiver role on this offense….”
After the first preseason game vs. the Bears, Charles Goldman wrote at Yahoo Sports, that Watson had staked and strengthened his claim. As I noted above, it further bolstered Watson’s ability, and Charles saw it after week one.
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Both Watson’s Were Strong
I like the playmaking ability of both Watsons. They both show why they will be productive players on the active roster. However, both were not expected to be a factor in the season. Those expectations were wrong.
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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Note: Both Justin Watson and Jaylen Watson have made the Chiefs final 53-man roster.
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