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Justin Watson May Lose His Spot on the Chiefs Roster as Rashee Rice Returns
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- Justin Watson May Lose His Spot on the Chiefs Roster as Rashee Rice Returns
The Kansas City Chiefs' lack of wide receiver caliber finally bit them in their first loss of the 2026 NFL season at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7. They are now 5-1 on the year heading into Week 8.
The team's top wideout in fourth-year player Rashee Rice is back at practice after missing two games with a right hamstring injury. He has not played on an NFL field since Week 4 (Oct. 4).
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The Chiefs next head to the Rocky Mountains to face the division rival Denver Broncos on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. The teams first met in Week 1 with the Chiefs winning 31-10 in quarterback Patrick Mahomes' return from ACL surgery.
On Thursday, Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star reported that Rice is now a limited participant at practice. He was joined by cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.
With Rice now set to return, Kansas City may have some decisions to make in the WR room. The team elected to elevate Justin Watson from the practice squad before their games in Weeks 6 and 7.
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If the Chiefs are getting a receiver back, especially their No. 1 guy, they may opt to not bring up Watson for Week 8 at Denver. He has played just six offensive snaps and five special teams snaps this season.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4)Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Watson is in year nine of his NFL career and has played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans in addition to the Chiefs. His best years came with the latter from 2022 through 2024, appearing in three Super Bowls and winning two.
Watson recorded 1,064 receiving yards across those three years and has tallied 1,359 yards for his career. If he cannot stick on a WR-needy team like Kansas City at this stage in his career at age 30, he may be hard-pressed to find reps elsewhere if poached.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
