Getty Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson apparently played through an Achilles tear.
At least one New England Patriots starter apparently played through an Achilles tear during the 2019 season.
Benjamin Watson, the 39-year-old veteran who started at tight end for the Patriots, claims he played through a torn Achilles during his most recent season with New England. Not only that, but he claims that Tom Brady‘s TB12 Sports Therapy helped him stay on the field.
Appears that Benjamin Watson played this year with a torn Achilles. Veteran tight end credits @TB12sports for keeping him on the field.
Watson’s Origin of Injury a Mystery
Watson isn’t the only current or former Patriot to recover at Brady’s sports therapy center. Other well-known players such as Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Dont’a Hightower and Jimmy Garoppolo have done so.
It’s uncertain when Watson suffered this Achilles tear as he was never actually listed on the injury report this season. The veteran tight end didn’t play his first game of the season until Week 7. Although Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo began the season as the Pats’ top tight ends, Watson eventually took over as the primary tight end.
Watson, originally a first-round draft choice of the Pats back in 2004, finished the season with 17 catches for 173 yards. He also had three catches for 38 yards in New England’s playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Following the playoff loss, the University of Georgia product seemed to indicate that he would be heading towards retirement this offseason.
“You know, it’s difficult. I love playing this game, but there is a time when you definitely have to move on,” said the 39-year-old tight end. “Definitely won’t be back here next year probably and probably won’t be playing at all. It’s something I tried doing before and it didn’t work. There is only so much your body can take and so much you can put your family through before you want to settle down and figure out what the next chapter of your life is going to be. We’re going to talk about it of course and make family decisions. It’s been a great run and it has been really special to be back here and special to have the opportunity to play the game.”
Watson had previously retired following the conclusion of the 2018 season as a member of the New Orleans Saints. However, the Patriots lured him out of retirement for one more season following Gronkowski’s sudden retirement.
Patriots’ Next Tight End
With Watson likely heading towards retirement and Izzo and LaCosse clearly not the answers at tight end, one of New England’s most pressing needs is at tight end.
While the Patriots could certainly look towards the draft for their next great tight end, they could also look at a free agent tight end. As suggested by ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, New England is a team of interest for Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry.
“Henry returned to full strength after a torn ACL cost him the 2018 season, catching 55 passes for 652 yards — both career-highs,” Seifert wrote. “The dynamic role of tight ends in today’s offenses suggests he will be highly sought-after if he reaches the market. The Patriots, in particular, seem like an obvious team of interest.”
Henry has served as a starter for the Chargers since his rookie campaign in 2016. He’s best known for replacing the legendary Antonio Gates as the team’s tight end.
If Brady does return for one more season, he’ll need a security blanket that he just did not have last season. Henry could very well be that security blanket.