Andy Reid Reveals Start-Sit Decisions for Week 18, Updates Return of Jaylen Watson

Who will suit up for the Chiefs' regular season finale, and who can expect an extra week of rest? Plus, Andy Reid's update on the return of Jaylen Watson.

Aug 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87), quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and center Creed Humphrey (52) react to play on the sidelines against the Chicago Bears during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

As the Kansas City Chiefs enjoy a long low-stress break as the AFC's No. 1 seed, Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos can't impact KC's standing as the playoffs approach. No matter what, the Chiefs will have a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. How will the Chiefs approach a game that will feel more like a preseason contest than a regular season finale?

After announcing that Carson Wentz would get the start at quarterback in place of Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs were vague throughout the remainder of the week about who would and wouldn't suit up on Sunday. On Friday afternoon, head coach Andy Reid addressed the team's plans with a bit more detail.

"I mentioned to you that Pat's not playing, then we'll just kind of see where things go from there," Reid began.

The Chiefs had three players who did not participate in Friday's practice: defensive tackle Chris Jones, running back Isiah Pacheco and right tackle Jawaan Taylor. Reid said that trio "most likely" will be ruled out for Sunday's game.

While Reid wouldn't rule out additional players, he did note that veteran left tackle D.J. Humphries could be in line to start on Sunday in what would be his second game as a Chief.

"There's a good chance, yeah, with that," Reid said. "Again, he's one that I'm kind of checking every day here as we go, but he looked like he did good today."

While the Chiefs will only be able to make a pair of practice squad call-ups for the game, with one presumably going to third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun, could recently unretired cornerback Steven Nelson get an opportunity to see the field in Denver?

"Well, you only have a couple elevations you can do, so I don't think you're probably going to see him," Reid said.

Cornerback Jaylen Watson returns to practice

The biggest news of the day comes from a player who hasn't suited up for the Chiefs since suffering a fractured ankle in October. On Friday, cornerback Jaylen Watson was designated to return to practice, opening his 21-day ramp-up window to return to the field in time for the playoffs.

A welcome sign for the #Chiefs:

Jaylen Watson & Mecole Hardman back in practice#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/5uW8IzN67r

— Matt Foster (@MattFosterTV) January 3, 2025

Watson was playing excellent football as Kansas City's No. 2 cornerback alongside Trent McDuffie. Since Watson's injury, the Chiefs have been left to shuffle defensive backs while seeking worthwhile production from players like Joshua Williams, Nazeeh Johnson, Chamarri Conner and Christian Roland-Wallace. Even after a solid stretch from that group near the end of the regular season, Watson's return remains a massive boon to KC's defense.

On Friday, Reid addressed Watson's return to the field.

"He's really done well, coming back," Reid said. "I'm curious to see how he did today and how he felt, but he was out there until the end and moving around pretty good from what I saw."

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