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If there is an area in which San Francisco probably could not lose much depth, it is along the offensive line. But on Thursday, November 2, the Browns signed tackle Leroy Watson from the 49ers roster, adding him to the 53-man roster after Watson spent the last two NFL seasons on the practice squad.
Watson was originally signed by the Falcons after going undrafted out of Texas-San Antonio in 2022, and when he was waived by Atlanta that summer, he landed with the 49ers. He has not gotten a chance to play for the 49ers in his two seasons with the team, so his time with the Browns will mark his first opportunity to get game action.
It could be worth paying attention to for 49ers fans, because Watson was part of an interesting experiment with San Francisco. He was a tight end in college—his teammate at UTSA was Spencer Burford—but the Niners liked his size (6-foot-5), athleticism and blocking ability enough to see him as a future offensive tackle.
For the last two years, Watson has been on the roster of the 49ers practice squad, working on that transition. In truth, it was not that difficult of a transition, as Watson had been an offensive lineman before he started playing tight end.
If it’s successful, it will be bittersweet. On one hand, the 49ers would be proven right, that Watson did have an NFL future as a lineman, not a tight end. On the other hand, they’ll have to watch someone else benefit from the fruits of their work.
Conversion on Its Way Before Watson Left 49ers for Browns
In his short time on the 49ers roster before news hit of his signing by the Browns, Leroy Watson did make an impression, at least with one guy whose opinion should matter: Trent Williams, the 49ers’ Pro Bowl tackle. Williams said, back in July, that he had been mentoring Watson and appreciated how the young guys had been using his time.
“He comes to me for a lot,” Williams said of Watson, via The Athletic. “He’s definitely one of those little brothers. We’ve kind of got the same physical makeup — he’s an athletic guy. His ceiling’s extremely high. He’s still new to the position, but he’s an intelligent player. Like I said, he has all the attributes. He’s used all this time to his advantage.”
Still, on an offensive line that has been without Williams for the last two weeks, if Watson had made that much progress, he would not still have been on the practice squad. The Browns will get the chance to test that progress.
Leroy Watson: ‘Definition of a True TE’
Ironically, the very thing that could now keep Watson in the NFL is the thing that nearly kept him out of it. In college, he was a much better blocking tight end than a pass-catching tight end, and had only 25 receptions in three seasons. But blocking-based tight ends from small schools are not going to garner much NFL interest. And Watson didn’t.
Before the 2022 draft, this is what Watson said of his ability as a prospect: “What sets me apart from every other tight end is I believe the definition of a true tight end. I believe I’m one of if not the best blocking tight ends in the country, and I’m a pass threat. And no tight end is as physical as I am. It comes from two or three years of playing offense line it was my first position before I was moved to tight end.”
It’s back to the line now, and with Jedrick Wills (foot) and Dawand Jones (shoulder) dealing with injuries for the Browns, maybe we’ll finally see Leroy Watson on the field. Just not in the uniform we’d hoped.
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49ers News: ‘High Ceiling’ 25-Year-Old Poached to Browns Roster