Terrell Watson

Terrell Anthony Watson (born August 22, 1993) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Azusa Pacific. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

Terrell Watson
No. 35, 39
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1993-08-22) August 22, 1993
Los Angeles, California
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Oxnard (CA)
College:Azusa Pacific
Undrafted:2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:14
Rushing yards:36
Rushing touchdowns:1
Receptions:1
Receiving yards:5
Receiving touchdowns:0
Player stats at NFL.com

Watson has also been a member of the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, and San Diego Fleet.

Early years

Watson was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 22, 1993, and was raised by his maternal grandparents Billy and Janice Watson after his mother abandoned him.[1] Watson's mother was 15 years old at the time.[1]

Watson went on to star in football at Oxnard High School in Oxnard, California.[1] In 2010, he led the entire CIF in rushing, finishing with 2,905 yards (along with 37 touchdowns) to rank sixth in the nation.[2]

In 2016, Watson began to open up about his background, talking about his speech impediment, and bullying that occurred due to his lisp. He talked with a lisp, had an inability to read and found it difficult to understand simple concepts in elementary school, which caused him to be bullied, teased and looked down upon by fellow pupils. However, Watson overcame his early-life struggles, moving from remedial-level or special education classes to normal classes by late middle school, which he credited to his teachers who helped him. Due to his educational background, he did not receive any scholarship offers coming out of high school, which led him to Azusa Pacific.[3][4]

College career

During his college career, Watson scored 79 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 6,000 yards for Azusa Pacific.[5] He broke every rushing record at the school, which were previously held by NFL player Christian Okoye.

Watson ran for 2,212 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior in the 2014 season.[5] He went on to be named MVP of the January 2015 edition of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.[6]

Professional career

After completing his senior season, Watson declared for the NFL draft and received an invitation to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. On January 17, 2015, Watson had nine carries for 55 yards and a touchdown as the National team won the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and defeated the American team 17-0. Watson and the National team were coached by former St. Louis Rams' head coach Mike Martz as Watson won the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl MVP award for his performance.[7] Watson was not among the 35 collegiate running backs who received an invitation to the NFL Combine.[8] On March 9, 2015, Watson participated at Azusa Pacific's pro day, along with five other teammates. He performed positional and combine drills for team representatives and scouts from 15 NFL teams. Running backs coaches from the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, and Arizona Cardinals attended Azusa’s pro day, with the Texans' coach primarily running his workout. Watson attended a pre-draft visit with the Bengals and received the most interest from them.[9] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Watson was projected to be a seventh round pick or priority undrafted free agent by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 25th best running back in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[10]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 240 lb
(109 kg)		 4.51 s1.57 s2.64 s4.49 s7.48 s35+1⁄2 in
(0.90 m)		10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)		22 reps
All values from Azusa Pacific's Pro Day[11]

Cincinnati Bengals

On May 2, 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Watson to a three-year, $1.58 million contract after he went undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft.[12] Throughout training camp, Watson competed for a roster spot against BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Rex Burkhead, Cedric Peerman, and James Wilder Jr.[13] On September 5, 2015, the Bengals waived Watson and signed him to their practice squad the following day, where he spent the entire 2015 season.[14][15][16]

Cleveland Browns

On January 21, 2016, the Cleveland Browns signed Watson to a reserve/futures contract.[17]

Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot against Glenn Winston, Raheem Mostert, Rajion Neal, and Jahwan Edwards.[18] On September 4, 2016, he was waived by the Browns a day after making the initial 53-man roster and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[19][20] He was released by the Browns on October 26, 2016.[21]

Denver Broncos

On November 2, 2016, Watson was signed to the Denver Broncos' practice squad.[22] He was released by the Broncos on December 14, 2016.[23]

Philadelphia Eagles

On December 20, 2016, Watson was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad.[24] He was promoted to the active roster on December 30, 2016.[25] He scored his first career touchdown on a one-yard run on January 1, 2017, in his NFL debut against the Dallas Cowboys.[26] He totaled nine carries for 28 yards in the 27–13 victory.[27] On May 4, 2017, he was released by the Eagles.[28]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On May 18, 2017, Watson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[29] Watson agreed to a one-year, $465,000 contract.[30]

Throughout training camp, Watson competed for a roster spot against Fitzgerald Toussaint, Knile Davis, and Trey Williams. He finished the 2017 preseason with 37 carries for 173 yards and one touchdown, as well as six receptions for 47 receiving yards. Head coach Mike Tomlin named Watson the third running back on the depth chart behind Le'Veon Bell and James Conner.[31][32] He was assigned as the short yardage and third down back.

Watson made his regular season debut in the Steelers season-opening 21-18 victory over the Cleveland Browns.[33] The following week, Watson had his first carry of the year for a one-yard gain during a 26–9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.[34] On November 25, 2017, the Steelers released Watson and was re-signed to the practice squad three days later.[35][36] Overall, he had five carries for eight rushing yards to go along with seven kick returns for 140 net yards in the 2017 season.[37]

New York Giants

On January 24, 2018, Watson signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Giants.[38] He was waived by the Giants on May 7, 2018.[39]

Los Angeles Chargers

On August 22, 2018, Watson was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers.[40] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[41]

San Diego Fleet

On September 28, 2018, Watson was signed by the San Diego Fleet.[42] The league ceased operations in April 2019.[43]

References
  1. DiGiovanna, Mike (November 11, 2013). "Once abandoned, Terrell Watson survives and thrives at Azusa Pacific". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  2. Aird, Donovan (November 19, 2010). "Playoffs have new look this season". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. S1.
  3. "Terrell Watson's amazing journey to NFL". Press of Atlantic City. December 31, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  4. "Eagles promote RB with remarkable story to roster". Penn Live. December 30, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  5. "2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: RB Terrell Watson". Pro Football Spot. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  6. "About the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl". nflpa.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  7. Nate Loop (January 18, 2015). "NFLPA Collegiate Bowl 2015: Highlights, Top Performers Who Boosted Draft Stock". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  8. "2015 NFL Scouting Combine participants: Running backs". NFL.com. February 6, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  9. Gil Brandt (April 19, 2015). "Bengals show interest in Azusa Pacific running back at pro day". nfl.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  10. "Terrell Watson, DS #25 RB, Azusa Pacific". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  11. "NFL Draft Profile: Terrell Watson". NFL.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  12. Marcum, Jason; Toback, Rebecca (May 8, 2015). "Bengals announce undrafted free agents signed". CincyJungle.com. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  13. Jason Marcum (July 21, 2015). "How Rex Burkhead at WR impacts Bengals roster". cincyjungle.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  14. Toback, Rebecca (September 5, 2015). "Bengals roster cuts: Bengals 53-man roster 2015". CincyJungle.com. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  15. Kirkendall, Josh (September 6, 2015). "Cincinnati Bengals 2015 practice squad announced". CincyJungle.com. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  16. Coley Harvey (September 6, 2015). "Each player on Bengals' practice squad opened camp with them". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  17. "Browns sign RB Terrell Watson". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  18. "Ourlads.com: Cleveland Browns depth chart: 07/01/2016". Ourlads.com. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  19. "Browns claim 5 players, sign 4 to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017.
  20. "Browns complete practice squad with 3 signings". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 5, 2016. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017.
  21. "Browns sign 3 to practice squad". Browns.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  22. Swanson, Ben (November 2, 2016). "Broncos sign RB Terrell Watson to practice squad". DenverBroncos.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018.
  23. Swanson, Ben (December 14, 2016). "Broncos sign RB Zac Brooks, released Terrell Watson from practice squad". DenverBroncos.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018.
  24. "Eagles Sign RB Terrell Watson To Practice Squad, Release TE Marcel Jensen". NFLTradeRumors.com. December 20, 2016.
  25. Stokes, Frankie (December 30, 2016). "Terrell Watson Will Make Debut Vs. Dallas". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  26. Weinberg, David (January 1, 2017). "Eagles beat Cowboys in season finale". The Press of Atlantic City.
  27. "Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles - January 1st, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  28. Mangels, Dave (May 4, 2017). "Eagles release three players". BleedingGreenNation.com.
  29. Varley, Teresa (May 18, 2017). "Green released; Watson signed". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018.
  30. "Spotrac.com: Terrell Watson contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  31. Rotowire staff (September 6, 2017). "Steelers' Terrell Watson: Listed at bottom of depth chart". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  32. "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart: 09/01/2017". ourlads.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  33. "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  34. "NFL Player Profile: Terrell Watson". NFL.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  35. Varley, Teresa (November 25, 2017). "Steelers activate Toussaint". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.
  36. Sam Quinn (November 28, 2017). "Pittsburgh Steelers sign Terrell Watson to practice squad". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  37. "Terrell Watson 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  38. "Former Steelers' RB Terrell Watson signs with Giants". 247Sports.com. January 24, 2018.
  39. Eisen, Michael (May 7, 2018). "Giants waive five players ahead of rookie minicamp". Giants.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018.
  40. Henne, Ricky (August 22, 2018). "Bolts Sign RB Terrell Watson". Chargers.com.
  41. Henne, Ricky (September 1, 2018). "Chargers Cut Roster Down to 53". Chargers.com.
  42. Nguyen, Alexander (September 28, 2018). "San Diego AAF Pro Football Team, the Fleet, Signs Former USD, Poway Star". Times of San Diego. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  43. Michael Rothstein, Seth Wickersham (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
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