Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will be able to watch the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs from home after securing the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a bye week.
There are only four teams Kansas City would be able to face in the Divisional Round: the lowest-seeded winner between the Houston Texans (No. 4 seed), Los Angeles Chargers (5), Pittsburgh Steelers (6) and Denver Broncos (7).
Throughout the year, the wide receiver position has been an issue for the Chiefs amid all the injuries the team has dealt with. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who will play in the playoffs, had missed a majority of the season with a shoulder issue. Rashee Rice suffered a season-ending knee injury. And Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore are on injured reserve and are not expected to play in the first playoff game.
Amid all the issues that Mahomes’ pass-catchers have had, Kansas City has announced a new roster move on Tuesday, signing wide receiver Montrell Washington to the practice squad. The Chiefs were forced to part ways with linebacker Blake Lynch to make room for Washington as well.
#Chiefs sign Montrell Washington to practice squad
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 7, 2025
Washington was a part of the Chiefs team that beat the San Francisco 49ers in last season’s Super Bowl. He served as a member of the practice squad for most of 2024 before his release on Dec. 30. Now, Kansas City has elected to bring the locker room favorite back.
Lynch was brought in for the Week 18 finale against Denver solely because Kansas City needed to add a linebacker due to Jack Cochrane’s injury. However, it seems to prefer Washington over Cochrane going into the postseason.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Washington was the No. 162 pick in the 2022 NFL draft by the Broncos. He spent one season with Denver, where he earned time on the special teams unit. The 25-year-old played college ball for Samford, where he tallied 129 catches for 1,686 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also earned first-team FCS All-American honors in 2019 as a return specialist.
If the Chiefs’ wide receiver injuries make a return after their first playoff game, Mahomes could have a new player catching passes, with Washington rejoining the team.
