Ben Watson's Debut in Week 7 Was a Spark to Patriots' Struggling TE Group
After a crazy ride which involved ending his retirement, facing a four-game suspension, and being released and re-signed by the New England Patriots, veteran tight end Benjamin Watson was finally able to make his 2019 debut in a Patriots uniform Monday night when the Patriots took on the New York Jets.
His production was simple, but telling; Watson was targeted five times in the 34-0 win, which was third-most on the team, and turned that into three receptions for 18 yards. One of those catches was on a pivotal 4th down play in the first half that led to a touchdown at the end of the drive.
Watson's three catches were the most by a tight end in a single game this season for New England. The five targets he received were also the most at his position this season for the Patriots in a single game. It's also worth noting all of his production in the passing game came in the first half of the Week 7 bout.
"Both Eric (Tomlinson) and Ben (Watson) did a real good job this week of catching up, not only from an assignment standpoint, but getting extra reps on the practice field and getting timing and so forth in both the running game and passing game." Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said during his postgame press conference. "I thought they both competed well, and it was good to be able to put some bigger people on the field and not be in four and three (wide-receiver formations) on every single play, so we got some productive plays from that. Hopefully we can build on that and balance off our personnel groupings a little bit more than the past couple of games."
Watson by no means had a blockbuster 2019 debut. However, his presence in both the run and pass game displayed why New England decided to re-sign the 38-year-old after releasing him just seven days prior. His ability to pass block, run block and catch passes brings something to the TE room that the Patriots have yet to see in the 2019 regular season - versatility.
Watson's presence in the lineup will make defenses second-guess throwing a linebacker on a Patriots tight end, which in result will open the middle of the field for Julian Edelman and company.
As a player that didn't have a roster spot as of Oct. 7, the former first round pick seems to be a very valuable piece to a Patriots offense that is in desperate need for versatility at TE. Go figure.
