Man, talk about a gut punch. The Chiefs’ offense took a real hit in Week 4 when wide receiver Tyquan Thornton dislocated his ankle against the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s a massive blow, even if there’s a chance he could recover in time for the postseason. We’re talking 13 regular-season games still on the schedule against a much tougher slate of opponents. You know the Chiefs have got to be looking for a way to replace that crucial downfield role Thornton had, right? And get this, it sounds like they might be turning back the clock.
Kansas City Is Eyeing a Familiar Face
Guess who’s on the radar? None other than Justin Watson. Word from good friend Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star is the Chiefs are “among several teams” interested in signing Watson, who is currently a free agent after the Houston Texans released him this preseason. This guy actually played for Kansas City from 2022-24, and get this, he’s a three-time Super Bowl champion! He even beat the Chiefs with the Bucs before grabbing back-to-back titles with KC.
Now, his run with the Texans in 2025 was super brief. He signed as a free agent but only appeared in two games before a calf injury sent him to the Reserve/Injured list. He did manage to return for their regular-season finale and played on special teams in the playoffs, so he’s not totally out of football shape. But let’s talk about what he did when he was actually with the Chiefs. From 2022-24, Watson pulled down 64 passes for 1,064 yards and seven touchdowns. Seriously, 56 of those 64 completions resulted in a first down or a score. Plus, over his last two seasons with the Chiefs, Pro Football Focus says he accumulated 694 yards and three touchdowns on 35 catches on passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield. That’s a legit deep threat resume.
Why Watson Makes Sense for a Midseason Addition
So why the interest now? Watson was literally the impactful deep-ball threat guy before Thornton stepped into the offense in 2025 and impressed from the practice squad. He can absolutely provide that field-stretching dynamic that Thornton built his role on. Yeah, Thornton probably excelled further in that spot, and Watson’s got his limits, but the familiarity? The guy knows the offense inside and out. And that downfield chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes? That’s got to be super enticing for a midseason addition.
It’ll be wild to see if Kansas City actually pulls the trigger on this reunion. What a story if Watson comes back to fill such a critical gap in their offense during crunch time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Arrowhead Pride.
Leave a Reply