Jaylen Watson update, Mecole Hardman out and more

The Chiefs announced a series of roster moves heading into the Divisional Round.

The Kansas City Chiefs have officially finalized their active roster heading into the Divisional Round of the NFL playoff after having announced a series of transactions on the day before taking the field against the visiting Houston Texans.

The Chiefs host the Texans to kick off their postseason campaign after sitting out the Wild Card round with a well-earned bye after clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC with a 15-2 record.

Let’s take a look at the transactions and what they mean going into Saturday’s game.

Jaylen Watson activated

The Chiefs activated Watson from injured reserve after speculation was rampant that the starting cornerback would be forced to miss the rest of the year after suffering an ankle injury.

Watson first went down in Week 7 in a win over the San Francisco 49ers and was sent to IR. The Chiefs’ secondary was in flux for weeks thereafter as defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo struggled to find the right lineup in the wake of Watson’s absence. While things have evened out with Joshua Williams’ emergence in the season’s second half, the truth is that Watson’s presence will help in the postseason against stiff competition.

The Chiefs opened the window for Watson’s potential return from IR earlier this month, which activated a 21-day window in which the team could evaluate him as he returned to practice. The Chiefs clearly believe he is healthy enough to contribute and will now return to the roster.

Expect him to play with some limited reps in his first game back, but as the Chiefs hopefully advance, Watson will get a chance to remind everyone of how good he looked early on.

Mecole Hardman out

The Chiefs ruled Mecole Hardman out for Saturday’s game with a knee injury as he was limited for the entire week of practice.

Hardman is a rarely-utilized offensive weapon, but there are key plays available to Andy Reid that utilize him well and no one should question his ability to step up in the postseason after last year’s touchdown in a Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Where Hardman will be missed most is at returner, but expect Nikko Remigio to step up with a postseason-sized platform to show what he can do.

Practice squad elevations made

The Chiefs made the decision to add two defenders to the active roster from the practice squad as both Swayze Bozeman, a rookie free agent linebacker, and Deon Bush, a veteran safety, have both earned the nod before hosting the Texans.

Bush is a familiar face who has made this journey with the Chiefs before, and his presence as a reliable special teams player with significant experience should ease Dave Toub’s nerves coming into the weekend. That said, Bush has made contributions on defense before so he shouldn’t be counted out on that side of the ball.

As for Bozeman, he’s been a familiar face as a late-season promotion multiple times and has clearly proven himself as a tackler on special teams.