Chiefs’ Andy Reid Hints at Initial Replacement for Injured CB Jaylen Watson

Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid may have just revealed the new cornerback starter after the injury to Jaylen Watson.

It was another bittersweet victory for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, as KC appears to have lost starting cornerback Jaylen Watson long-term.

However, injury after injury have yet to slow down the Kansas City machine that is the Chiefs under head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo — so who will step up with Watson sidelined? Reid hinted that third-year CB Nazeeh Johnson will get the first opportunity to start opposite Trent McDuffie in Week 8.

“Every week he’s gotten better and stronger,” the Chiefs HC said of Johnson on October 21. “So, that’s the main thing.”

“He’s a good player, it’s that he has the confidence in his leg and the leg is strong, and that just happens by playing [more],” Reid continued. “So, every week it’s been a positive [trajectory for Johnson] going forward.”

The Chiefs head coach is referencing Johnson’s torn ACL that occurred in July of 2023. Something Johnson has been battling back from all offseason.

“He’s ready for the spot,” Reid concluded, regarding Johnson’s potential bump in playing time beginning against the Las Vegas Raiders on October 27. And it appears as if he’ll get it, at least initially.

Chiefs Could Alternate Nazeeh Johnson & Joshua Williams as Starting CBs, Depending on Matchup

Although Reid and Spagnuolo gave Johnson the initial vote of confidence — both on the field as the snap leader after Watson’s injury and in the Monday press conference — the former also left the door open for fellow third-year CB Joshua Williams.

“[Number] 2 has also been in there, he’s done it,” Reid said of Williams. “So, he knows what it takes.”

Building off that, the Chiefs head coach noted that Johnson and Williams have “two different body types,” adding that the team will “need both of them.”

You might recall that Spagnuolo prefers to choose one cornerback and start them for the bulk of each game, rather than rotate at the position. Having said that, the Chiefs DC is not opposed to rotating week-to-week.

For example, Watson and Williams rotated a bunch as rookies. They rarely split snaps during a game, but they did switch on and off as the starter, depending on the wide receiver matchup each week. That could be the case with Johnson and Williams for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.

“They both need to step up,” Reid challenged on Monday, October 21. “Watson was having a heck of a year. So, now these guys have an opportunity here to step in and do the same.”