According to NFL reporter Greg Auman, the Kansas City Chiefs have officially signed a former member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in wide receiver Justin Watson. Per Auman, the contract comes on the heels of an official visit earlier in the day on Friday.
Watson recently wrapped his rookie deal with the Bucs after the 2021 season, and over the last four years, he’s largely served as a core special teams player for Tampa Bay.
The Bucs originally selected Watson in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of the University of Pennsylvania as a smart, big, physical target who stands at 6’3″, 215 lbs. Some scouts thought he held plenty of potential if he could make the leap from Ivy League competition to the NFL, but so far that hasn’t happened for Watson.
Justin Watson has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Watson’s most productive season was back in 2019 when he caught 15 passes for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns. In three years apart from that, he caught only 8 passes for the Bucs and played in only a single game due to a knee surgery that sidelined him for months.
Watson has been buried on the depth chart over the years with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Adam Humphries, DeSean Jackson, Scotty Miller and more over the years.
The Chiefs have an abundance of options now on the roster, but they’re likely just starting to shop. Watson will be just another body to watch on the field during offseason training activities and rookie minicamp as the Chiefs hope to sift through several fringe roster options as they remake the position for 2022.