The wide receivers room gets plenty of attention during the preseason, with many talented players competing for limited spots on the depth chart.
Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson is entering his third season with the team and has already assumed a mentorship role. He spoke with reporters on Monday about adjusting to being viewed as the older veteran in the room.
“I’ve always just tried to be a leader in the (receiver) room. Even my first year here, when I was trying to get my feet wet,” said Watson. “Yeah, like I said, it is just cool to know what the coaches want, know what Pat (Patrick Mahomes) wants, and be able to share some insight with these guys so they don’t have to learn the hard way. It’s been fun coming in as the new guy and then three years in, kind of find myself as the old guy in the room and the guy that has got a little more grey hairs here and there.”
Watson has been a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes in recent seasons, making impactful plays during games and contributing to back-to-back Super Bowl runs. He highlighted two of the younger receivers in the room competing for a roster spot.
“I think top to bottom, we’ve had a lot of good receivers. I look at Skyy Moore as another guy that I think (is) in his third year also has evolved his role from just playing one position to knowing all the (receiver) spots. Being able to – you know, if something happens, somebody needs a water break, a shoelace (is untied), or something, and being able to point at Skyy and (he’ll) head in. Cornell Powell is a great example in the preseason the other day.” said Watson. “He wasn’t supposed to be on that play. We needed a sub for one play, and then he makes the play of the preseason with a great catch. I think we have done a great job as a receiver room, not just learning one position or just our plays, but trying to learn the whole offense so we can be dependable.”
The 28-year-old, a three-time Super Bowl champion, finished last season with 27 catches for 460 yards and three touchdowns.