Washington State Professional Athletes

Jaylen Watson's Return Headlines a Big Week for Cougar Alumni

Washington State's most compelling NFL story this week isn't happening in a stadium yet — it's happening in a Rams training facility, where cornerback Jaylen Watson is doing everything he can to suit up for Monday Night Football.

Watson, sidelined with a shoulder injury, revealed he's been working with a protective shoulder harness that could allow him to take the field when Los Angeles hosts the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. The device is Watson's self-described "secret weapon" — a solution that would return one of the Rams' key defensive backs to a lineup that badly needs him facing Josh Allen and a high-powered Buffalo offense. Watson also sent a cryptic message to fans and reporters ahead of the game, stopping just short of confirming his status but signaling he has every intention of playing.

The optimism isn't unfounded. Watson returned to practice Thursday alongside defensive tackle Aaron Donald, giving Los Angeles legitimate hope that its defense can show up whole for one of the marquee matchups of Week 5. The Rams' final injury report confirmed the expectation: Watson, Donald, and tight end Colby Parkinson are all anticipated to play against the Bills. That's a significant reinforcement for a team sitting at 2-2 after a gutsy 24-20 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

For Watson, a Pullman product who has developed into a reliable starter in LA's secondary, playing through injury with a harness speaks to the kind of high-stakes moment that can define a player's reputation. A strong performance against Allen — one of the NFL's most dangerous passers — would do exactly that.

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Around the League: Other Cougars in Action

Watson wasn't the only WSU alum with something to show for in Week 5. In Foxborough, wide receiver Kyle Williams suited up for New England in a stunner — the Patriots knocked off the Buffalo Bills 29-26 in a season-saving performance led by quarterback Drake Maye. Williams was part of a Patriots passing attack that found a way to grind out a win against one of the AFC's best teams.

Daiyan Henley and the Los Angeles Chargers dropped a 23-30 decision to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, a tough result for the Wazzu linebacker in a divisional matchup that carries playoff implications. Fellow Cougar Frankie Luvu had a rough Sunday as well — his Washington Commanders fell 13-30 to the Indianapolis Colts, a lopsided loss that raises questions about Washington's early-season trajectory.

On the positive side, Jaden Hicks was part of a Kansas City Chiefs team that edged the Las Vegas Raiders 30-27, keeping the reigning champions near the top of the AFC West. And Chau Smith-Wade played in a competitive Carolina-Detroit clash that saw the Lions edge the Panthers 32-26, with Smith-Wade's Panthers making a game of it before falling short.

The week ahead belongs to Watson, though. Monday Night Football, prime time, the Bills. If that harness holds up, it's the kind of moment that Cougar fans will be watching closely.

Washington State's NFL alumni had a rough week — and the most painful stories unfolded on the defensive backfield, not the box score.

Watson Goes Down in LA

Rams CB Jaylen Watson's season took a serious hit in Week 3 when he suffered a dislocated right shoulder against the Broncos, getting carted off the field and ruled out for the remainder of that game. By the time the Rams' final injury report dropped ahead of their Week 4 matchup against the Eagles, Watson was officially ruled out — listed alongside fellow starters Aaron Donald and Terrance Ferguson.

The silver lining, if there is one: reports suggest Watson's return timeline could land in October, meaning he may be back after Week 4. But in the meantime, the Rams were forced to elevate fellow Cougar alum Cam Lampkin from the practice squad ahead of the Eagles game — a WSU-on-WSU roster ripple — and the secondary depth questions are real. Watson had been a key piece in LA's aggressive defensive scheme, and Sports Illustrated noted his absence forces meaningful adjustments to how the Rams deploy their corners.

Thompson Lands on IR in Dallas

Five hundred miles east, things got grimmer for Jalen Thompson. The Cowboys' $33 million free-agent safety limped off the field against the Ravens in Week 3 with a hamstring injury, and Dallas didn't wait long to make it official: Thompson was placed on injured reserve midweek, ending any hope of a quick return. Cowboys executive Stephen Jones put the timeline at four to six weeks — a significant blow to an already-thin Dallas secondary.

Thompson had been a prized offseason addition, and his absence lands at the worst possible time for a Cowboys defense that was already absorbing losses. The IR designation means he'll miss a minimum of four games.

The Cougar Connection

The parallel is hard to miss: two WSU defensive backs, on two different rosters, both knocked out of action in the same week. Watson and Thompson were drafted three years apart, came through Pullman's NFL pipeline, and are now sharing the same uncomfortable storyline heading into October.

Neither injury appears season-ending, but both carry enough severity to reshape their teams' defensive plans for the foreseeable future.

Elsewhere in the Cougar Nation

The rest of WSU's NFL contingent had a quieter week. Kyle Williams hauled in one catch for 34 yards in New England's 6–35 loss to Jacksonville — a bright spot in an otherwise ugly afternoon for the Patriots. Frankie Luvu returned to the active roster for Washington after missing two games, though he was inactive in Week 3 against the Seahawks; the Commanders' linebacker room has shifted around him during his absence. Jaden Hicks was on the field for Kansas City's 24–10 win over Miami, and Daiyan Henley suited up for the Chargers in their 24–16 loss to Buffalo.

No Cougar had a breakthrough performance this week — but Watson and Thompson made sure the WSU alumni report was anything but quiet.

Two Cougs Go Down, Washington Heads to Dallas Shorthanded

Washington State alumni Frankie Luvu and Chig Okonkwo will both miss the Commanders' Week 2 road matchup against the Cowboys after suffering injuries in Washington's Week 1 loss to the Eagles, leaving head coach Dan Quinn with significant holes to fill on both sides of the ball.

Luvu, one of Washington's defensive anchors, suffered a minor groin strain during the Commanders' 24-22 defeat in Philadelphia. The linebacker still recorded a sack in the game before leaving, but didn't practice at any point during the week — appearing on the Wednesday injury report as a DNP alongside Okonkwo — and was officially ruled out Friday. Quinn confirmed the decision, with Washington now leaning on rookie Sonny Styles to absorb the linebacker load. The No. 7 overall pick made an immediate impression in relief of Luvu in Week 1, terrorizing Jalen Hurts enough that the coaching staff acknowledged it was time to "unleash" him. That's a promising sign, but replacing a veteran like Luvu in a marquee divisional-adjacent matchup is no small ask.

Okonkwo's absence compounds the problem. The tight end, who gives Washington a versatile pass-catching option in the middle of the field, was also ruled out Friday after sitting out the entire week of practice. Losing him strips the offense of a key safety valve at precisely the moment the Commanders need all hands on deck against a Cowboys defense hungry to bounce back after Dallas dropped its opener to the Giants, 28-20.

Henley Faces a Big Week of His Own

Across the league, fellow Wazzu linebacker Daiyan Henley is carrying his own storyline heading into Week 2. The Chargers LB is entering his fourth season in Los Angeles with something to prove, and he'll get a prime opportunity Sunday against the Raiders — a matchup that analytics previews have specifically flagged as a key battle. Henley drew a notable mention in Raiders-Chargers Week 2 preview coverage alongside Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty, underscoring the expectation that he'll be a central figure in the game.

Henley's Chargers opened their season with a loss to Arizona, 26-14, so a bounce-back performance is on the table.

Around the League

Elsewhere in the Coug diaspora, WR Kyle Williams is getting a sudden opportunity in New England after A.J. Brown went down with an injury expected to keep him out at least four weeks. Williams is among the Patriots receivers being counted on to step up in Brown's absence — a real chance for the former Wazzu pass-catcher to establish himself as a viable NFL option.

In Seattle, OT Abraham Lucas — who signed a three-year, $46 million extension last year — drew criticism from analytics reviews after the Seahawks' narrow 13-10 Week 1 win over the Patriots, landing among the more concerning offensive line performances despite the victory. For Lucas, cleaning up those issues will be priority one heading into Week 2.

The headline story, though, belongs in Washington D.C. Two Cougs on the injury report. One already hurt. A trip to Dallas on deck. The Commanders are banking heavily on their young talent to fill the void — and on the football gods to give Luvu and Okonkwo a quick turnaround.