Veteran tight end Benjamin Watson last played for the New Orleans Saints, and was initially ready to enter retirement and help his wife raise their seven children after the 2018 season. But he opted to return to the league for one last run with the team that drafted him, the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, he was hit with a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs after having taken a fertility drug during his retirement.
Things didn’t improve from there. Watson suffered a concussion during a Patriots preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, missing much of training camp, and now he’s parting ways with the team after serving the four-week suspension.
Mike Reiss of ESPN first reported that the Patriots would not be activating Watson after his suspension ended, instead allowing his roster exemption to expire and freeing up about $2 million against the salary cap. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network followed up with a report that Watson, now a free agent, is interested in continuing to play in the NFL. Watson confirmed the news himself from his official Twitter account.
Despite his age (Watson will turn 39 in December) and recent injury history, a reunion with the Saints could end up working out for Watson. Veteran tight end Jared Cook finally had a breakout performance in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reeling in four of his six targets to gain 41 yards and score a touchdown. That’s far below the expectations the Saints had for him after signing him to a two-year, $15 million contract back in March.
The Saints are running two-deep (or too deep) at tight end right now, with just Cook and longtime backup Josh Hill on the active roster. They have a converted wide receiver (Dan Arnold) and former defensive lineman (Mitchell Loewen) listed as tight ends on the practice squad, and cut a rookie draft pick (Alize Mack) a few weeks into the season after he failed to gain traction. Watson could do a lot to solidify the shaky depth at the position given his experience with the playbook and likely-minimal salary cap commitment.
