Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson had an impressive start to his third NFL season. He led the Chiefs with 11 total tackles against the Baltimore Ravens. The 25-year-old defender has shown continuous signs of improvement throughout his career with the Chiefs. After a strong start in Week 1, Jaylen Watson is on track for a breakout season in 2024.
Who is Jaylen Watson?
The Chiefs selected cornerback Jaylen Watson in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Most players drafted that late don’t have long careers, but that hasn’t stopped Watson from carving out a nice role for himself in Kansas City.
Watson spent his first two seasons behind cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed on the Chiefs’ depth chart. However, he has still made several huge plays to help his team secure victories. His most famous highlight is the 99-yard pick-six against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers in the second game of his rookie season. He also had two interceptions in the 2022 playoffs and recovered a muffed punt in last year’s Super Bowl.
A True Underdog Story
Jaylen Watson’s trajectory is more impressive when you consider the obstacles he’s overcome. On top of being the 243rd overall pick in the draft, Watson almost quit playing football altogether in college. After a standout two years at Ventura College, Watson intended to transfer to USC. Unfortunately, he could not enroll in the school due to his grades.
Watson did not play college football at all in 2019 and returned to his hometown of Augusta, Georgia. He worked at a Wendy’s before signing on to transfer to Washington State for the 2020 season. The COVID-19 pandemic limited his junior season to just three games, but he was able to play a full senior season. Watson was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in both of his seasons with the Cougars.
Can Jaylen Watson Replace Chiefs Star Cornerback?
The Chiefs traded cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans this past offseason. The NFL 100 snub was a fan favorite and a crucial player in the Chiefs’ secondary. Someone will need to step up and fill Sneed’s shoes in 2024. So far, Jaylen Watson is showing that he is up to the task.
Watson will have plenty of challenges thrown at him this season. L’Jarius Sneed often shadowed the opposing team’s best receivers. Watson is used to guarding receivers on the outside but will have to take on tougher matchups in Sneed’s absence. Furthermore, fellow cornerback Trent McDuffie hardly ever gets thrown at. This means that Watson will likely have the bulk of targets coming his way in most games this season. His 11 tackles against the Ravens show that he is ready to handle a busy workload.
Jaylen Watson looks to be a key figure in one of the league’s best secondaries. The Chiefs held reining MVP Lamar Jackson to 273 yards and severely limited his downfield passing. Watson and the other cornerbacks face Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals next. The Week 2 matchup will provide more information on whether Jaylen Watson is ready for a starring role in Kansas City.
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