Chiefs sign former Buccaneers wide receiver, work out Shane Ray

According to longtime NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Kansas City Chiefs have signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Justin Watson.

Taken out of Pennsylvania by the Buccaneers in the fifth round (144th overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft, the 6-foot-3, 215 pound wideout played in 40 Tampa Bay games over four seasons, starting four of them. He’s accumulated 23 receptions (including 15 first downs) for 258 yards and two touchdowns on 40 targets. He’s been credited with just one drop on those passes.

But his main contribution for the Buccaneers was on special teams, where he never notched fewer than 54% of the snaps in any season.

Watson had knee surgery last July, landing on the team’s Reserve/PUP list at the end of training camp. After being activated in late December, he played in one 2021 game.

Watson’s signing brings the Kansas City roster to 52 players. We calculate that the team presently has about $2.8 million in cap space.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Watson was just one of several players the Chiefs hosted on Friday.

Ray, 28, was a first-round pick (23rd overall) for the Denver Broncos in 2015. He spent four seasons in Denver. The Kansas City native went to Bishop Miege High School before attending the University of Missouri. In 2021, Ray played for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.