Deshaun Watson’s injury brings former Samford QB back to Kansas City Chiefs

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s season-ending Achilles tendon injury has brought former Samford quarterback Chris Oladokun back to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Watson sustained his injury in the Browns’ 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. To take Watson’s place on its active roster, Cleveland signed quarterback Bailey Zappe from Kansas City’s practice squad.

After starting the final six games of the 2023 season when the New England Patriots benched former Alabama All-American Mac Jones, Zappe was waived at the end of the preseason in August as the Patriots overhauled their quarterbacks room.

Zappe then filled the Chiefs’ practice-squad QB spot that Oladokun had occupied the previous two seasons, as he received two Super Bowl rings without appearing in a game for Kansas City.

Oladokun was the Chiefs’ leading passer in the preseason, completing 22-of-32 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. But Kansas City kept Carson Wentz to back up Patrick Mahomes and signed Zappe for the practice squad after his release by New England.

With Zappe’s departure, the Chiefs brought back Oladokun on Tuesday.

After joining Samford in 2019 from South Florida, Oladokun completed 169-of-272 passes for 2,058 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions and ran for 491 yards and eight touchdowns on 127 carries. In 2020, Oladokun completed 37-of-56 passes for 221 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and ran for 26 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries as Liam Welch became Samford’s No. 1 quarterback.

After transferring to South Dakota State in 2022, Oladokun passed for 3,614 yards and 25 touchdowns and helped the Jackrabbits reach the NCAA FCS semifinals.

Oladokun entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. Buried on the depth chart behind veterans Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph and 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett as the Steelers tried to decide which QB would replace Ben Roethlisberger after his retirement, Oladokun was cut during the preseason, and Kansas City picked him up for its practice squad.