Andy Reid on Jaylen Watson's First Game Back, Possibility of Mecole Hardman Returning

With the AFC championship game on the horizon, Andy Reid addressed Jaylen Watson's return to the Chiefs and whether Mecole Hardman could follow suit.

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

As the Kansas City Chiefs' playoff run continues, the back-to-back Super Bowl champs are in a pretty favorable spot health-wise. After nursing seemingly countless injuries throughout the regular season, Andy Reid's team is as close to full strength as it's been since August.

With an AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills on the horizon, Kansas City will need all hands on deck to take down their conference rivals. One player on each side of the ball is being monitored, with Reid providing a mixed bag of an update early this week.

Positive signs following Jaylen Watson's return to the lineup

The Chiefs got a major boost just in time for the playoffs, as cornerback Jaylen Watson was activated from the injured reserve list following an ankle injury suffered during Week 7's win over the San Francisco 49ers. The third-year secondary piece got a pretty solid workload in the divisional round against the Houston Texans, playing 40 of the club's 68 defensive snaps (good for a 59% share). It was a good reintroduction for the third-year man, although it also leaves many wondering what his role will be with another week of practice under his belt.

Reid wouldn't reveal a specific split of reps, but he did seem impressed by Watson's initial progress and subsequent response following Saturday's game. This is a good sign heading into the weekend.

"He actually came out of that feeling good, Pete [Sweeney]," Reid said. "That's one of the positives that you come out with [on] Jaylen. He's fresh from the injury, and you hope that he can not have the swelling that was taking place before and still function at a relatively high speed during the game. I thought he did that. I thought he sustained when given that opportunity."

Wait-and-see approach for Mecole Hardman as practice window winds down

The far less certain – and positive – part of Reid's update pertained to wide receiver Mecole Hardman. The former second-round pick was placed on injured reserve prior to Week 14's win over the Los Angeles Chargers as he dealt with a knee ailment. After some time off, the team designated him to return on January 1 but he's only progressed far enough to be a limited participant in practice. That led to Kansas City originally listing him as doubtful for the divisional round and later downgrading him to out.

In the blink of an eye, Hardman's 21-day practice window is set to close on Wednesday. If he isn't activated from injured reserve by then, the sixth-year pass catcher and return man will be ineligible to play for the rest of the postseason. Reid didn't seem to love those chances too much, preaching patience in a situation that doesn't allow for a ton of it.

"Yeah, we'll see how that goes here," Reid said. "I haven't made any decisions on that yet. He's worked hard to try to get himself back and going, but we'll see how all of that works out."

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