Jaylen Watson Injury Details Reported, Set to Undergo Surgery Before Long Recovery

Starting cornerback Jaylen Watson is reportedly set to have surgery on his fractured ankle before beginning a long road back to the football field.

Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson (35) celebrates after breaking up a pass for Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (5) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs have been hit with another serious long-term injury, as a new report paints a bleak picture regarding the immediate future of cornerback Jaylen Watson.

Watson, who had become Kansas City's clear-cut No. 2 cornerback across the field from Trent McDuffie for the Chiefs' dominant defense, left KC's win over the San Francisco 49ers due to an ankle injury. On Tuesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Watson is likely to miss the remainder of the 2024 season.

"Chiefs DB Jaylen Watson will undergo surgery in the coming days for a broken fibula-tibia (ankle) after tests confirmed the injury, per sources," Fowler wrote on Twitter/X. "Outside chance he’s back for a late playoff push, source adds, but his season very well could be over."

On Monday afternoon, Watson shared his first public message since suffering his injury, posting a broken heart emoji on Twitter/X.

💔

— Wat’s Island🏝 (@JaylenWatson12) October 21, 2024

In Watson's absence, the Chiefs will look to rely on recent No. 3 cornerback Nazeeh Johnson down the stretch. On Monday, head coach Andy Reid expressed his confidence in Johnson's growth and the potential for the 2022 seventh-round pick to take the starting job.

"Every week, he’s gotten better and stronger and so that’s the main thing," Reid said. "He’s a good player. Just that he has the confidence in his leg and the leg’s strong and that just happens by playing. Every week it’s been a positive going forward, and he’s ready for the spot. [No.] 2's [Joshua Williams] also been in there, he’s done it, so he knows what it takes. Two different body types, and we'll need both of them and they both need to step up. Watson was having a heck of a year. Now these guys have an opportunity here to step in and do the same."

Without Watson, Johnson and Williams will have to prepare for larger roles, as will undrafted rookie Chris Rolland-Wallace, who recorded his first NFL interception on Sunday. After the game, Rolland-Wallace earned praise from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

"He's a good football player," Mahomes said. "He's been like that since training camp, and you can see it. Some guys just have it, and you can see it from day one. He's gotten better and better. You can tell he really listens to Spags, to coach [Dave] Merritt, to all the coaches and the players. He sits there and listens to Trent [McDuffie] talk. He's gotten better and better each and every week, and he stepped up today whenever his number was called. I think two rookies got interceptions, if I'm right, so it was cool to see those guys get in the game and make plays."

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