Blake

Watson

Watson is an undrafted free agent out of Memphis and has four carries for 10 yards this season. He made the initial 53-man roster for Denver, but was cut and re-signed to the practice squad in October. He returns to the active roster now to throw more hands into the murky Broncos backfield. CB Levi Wallace will be waived in a corresponding move.

This one comes as a bit of a surprise for a team with as many concerns as the Broncos have a running back. Despite his UDFA status, Watson is a talented rookie who made the Broncos 53-man roster out of training camp. The former Memphis product amassed more than 3,200 yards on the ground in his five-year college career, and added another 113-928-6 through the air. Watson would make for an intriguing signing for several teams in need of help at the position. If he clears waivers, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him revert to the Broncos’ practice squad.

With fellow rookie Audric Estime placed on injured reserve, UDFA Watson will serve as the No. 3 back. 24-year-old Watson is known for having some pass-catching chops. With the Broncos in “figure it out” mode, Watson might actually get a touch or two on Sunday.

Wilson will be the emergency third quarterback against the Seahawks on Sunday behind Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham. Franklin was a fourth-round pick who struggled early in camp, and will need to pick things up in practice to not earn the inactive designation going forward.

Watson did not enter the game until the fourth quarter, likely ending his late-round fantasy viability but his pass-catching juice remains undeniable. Watson should be safely stashed on dynasty taxi squads.

Watson had been battling a minor injury during the early parts of training camp but is now back with the team. The rookie UDFA is competing for a spot in a deep Broncos backfield that features incumbents Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Samaje Perine, and rookie Audric Estime. He faces an uphill climb to make the 53-man roster unless he can stand out in training camp, but he would be a priority candidate for the practice squad if he doesn’t make the original roster.

“I think we’ll have him back sooner than later,’’ coach Sean Payton said Thursday. “I’m not going to have a specific timetable, but I think we’ll be OK with him.” We’re only mentioning it because Watson was a buzzy UDFA, one whose name has been bandied about as a potential factor in the Broncos’ wide-open backfield competition. Needless to say, even a few days of missed time is a big deal for an undrafted rookie. Watson needs to get back soon.

There really wasn’t much time for Watson (5'9"/193) to do damage, as Tulsa controlled the time of possession with their own run game. When Watson got a chance, he was fairly effective like he’s been all year (over 1000 yards rushing on the season) and he scored ODU’s only offensive touchdown late in the game. He punched it in from short distance to make the score look more acceptable, but it was too late to really matter with how Tulsa was killing the clock. Watson had a fantastic season in his first year starting, and should be a big weapon for the Monarchs in 2022.

He added an 11-yard reception. Up until October 8, Watson hadn’t rushed for more than 81 yards in a game this season. In the seven games since, he topped 100-yards rushing six times and scored at least one touchdown in five of those games. Today’s output gives the Queens native his first-career 1,000-yard rushing season. ODU achieves bowl eligibility at 6-6.

Watson (5'9/193) was able to get through this FAU defense all day. His awareness was on point as he was able to find every gap at the line of scrimmage and could burst through the secondary. It took a while for either one of these teams to find the end zone, Watson finally did with under a minute in the first half when again he found the gap and cut through for the 12-yard touchdown. Just another great performance for the C-USA rushing leader who now has five straight games with over 100 yards and back-to-back with over 150. Old Dominion (4-6, C-USA 3-3) will travel to face Middle Tennessee next Saturday.