The Kansas City Chiefs will be without two defensive players going into Sunday night’s game against the New York Jets. Starting linebacker Nick Bolton continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered in Week 2 and will be forced to miss his second consecutive game. Second-year defensive back Jaylen Watson will also be out this week as he has a shoulder injury.
Bolton didn’t practice for the second straight week, while Watson has been out since Wednesday. Another week without Bolton could mean another starting opportunity for Drue Tranquill to call signals for the defense. The Chiefs’ secondary will be forced to adjust their depth without Watson being available, with many eyes on rookie Nic Jones as a possible candidate for playing time after being sidelined with a hand injury since the preseason.
Here's the final injury report for the Chiefs and Jets. pic.twitter.com/IrlBkYBndU
— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) September 29, 2023
“The only ones that didn’t practice today were (Nick) Bolton and Jaylen Watson. He (Watson) has a shoulder strain, and we’ll just see. Most likely, he’ll be out along with Bolton,” said head coach Andy Reid to open Friday’s press conference, “Look forward to the challenge of playing the Jets. Guys have had a good week of practice. They understand the talent on that football team, so they’ve really worked hard to get themselves ready.”
Kansas City hasn’t listed any other players ahead of Sunday night’s game, but defensive tackle Chris Jones and wide receiver Kadarius Toney were limited in Friday’s practice.