Inside The Vikings

Report: Vikings plan to waive OT Leroy Watson if they can't find a trade

Watson, a former college tight end, still possesses some intriguing backup upside.
Will Ragatz|
August 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Leroy Watson IV (78) after the game against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium.
August 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Leroy Watson IV (78) after the game against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings plan to waive offensive tackle Leroy Watson if they can't find a trade partner for him prior to Tuesday afternoon's cutdown deadline, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Update: Watson was, in fact, waived on Monday.

Watson, 27, signed with the Vikings' practice squad last December and then inked a futures deal after the season ended. He played pretty well in this preseason, earning a 64.6 PFF grade across 108 snaps between left and right tackle. His pass-blocking grade was 75.3, but he did commit three penalties.

It seems unlikely that a team would part with any draft capital to trade for him, but there's enough upside with the 6'4", 311-pound Watson that he should have no issue finding another opportunity somewhere once waived. A former collegiate tight end at Texas-San Antonio, he played briefly for the Browns in 2023 and started four games for the Titans last season (albeit with very poor PFF grades). He also had stints with the Falcons and 49ers earlier in his career.

A return to Minnesota's practice squad isn't out of the question.

The Vikings have Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill as their starting tackles, with Justin Skule and Walter Rouse in line to be the top backups. They also waived undrafted rookie Logan Brown on Sunday.

Including Watson, here are the Vikings' cuts so far:

  • QB Brett Rypien
  • OLB Cam Gill
  • CB Reddy Steward
  • CB Keenan Garber
  • RB Tre Stewart
  • S Mishael Powell
  • T Logan Brown
  • T Leroy Watson
  • OL Zach Bailey
  • WR Silas Bolden
  • WR Robert Lewis
  • DL Travis Bell

The roster stands at 76 players, which means 23 more cuts are needed before the 3 p.m. CT deadline on Tuesday.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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