Chiefs Add Receiver To Practice Squad As Search Continues

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking for at least one receiver, and they added Justin Watson to their practice squad with that in mind, according to a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. 

This is something of a reunion signing, as Watson played for the Chiefs from 2022-24 before moving on to join the Houston Texans last season, but Watson has been a free agent since being released by Houston at the end of August. 

Watson had 64 catches for 1,064 yards and seven touchdowns in 50 regular season games. He also brings some postseason experience to the table, as he had nine catches for 120 yards during three postseasons with the team and he helped the Chiefs win a pair of Super Bowls, per Alper. 

He’ll be joining a team with multiple opportunities at the position. The Chiefs have had a need for a receiver ever since the offseason, as they used much of their draft capital to trade up to get cornerback Mansoor Delane, which cost them a third-round pick. 

Kansas City was also linked to several prominent free agent receivers during the offseason, but they elected to pass on all of them. 

The situation got worse in the offseason due to the issues of Rashee Rice, who had surgery and then went to jail for a month for violating the terms of his probation related to a street-racing incident back in 2024. Rice was able to rehab in time to start the regular season, but he’s been dealing with a hamstring issue over for a couple of weeks. 

The other big injury blow was the loss of Tyquan Thornton, who is now out for an extended period after dislocating his ankle making a big catch against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4. 

The Chiefs have also been linked to former star receiver Tyreek Hill for several weeks now, but Hill’s ongoing civil suit related to a domestic violence incident has probably eliminated him from the picture, as the NFL has an open investigation related to the incident, the testimony at trial and other similar incidents. 

Watson will compete with a couple of other backups to try and earn playing time. The Chiefs got a strong performance from training-camp phenomenon Cyrus Allen, but he hasn’t reemerged, and Andrew Armstrong is another backup wideout who will probably be competition for a depth spot on the roster.