Josh Watson (American football)
.JPG) Watson in the 2019 NFL season | |||||||||||
| No. 54 – Denver Broncos | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | May 20, 1996 Kansas City, Missouri | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| College: | Colorado State | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2019 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2019 | |||||||||||
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Josh Watson (born May 20, 1996) is an American football linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado State.
Early life and high school
Watson was born in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Blue Springs, Missouri and attended Blue Springs South High School. As a senior, he was named first team All-Missouri and won the Mike Jones Award as the best linebacker in MSHSAA Class 6 after setting school records for tackles in a season with 177 and tackles in a game with 31.[1]
College career
Watson was a member of the Colorado State Rams for five seasons, redshirting his true freshman year. He played in all 13 of the Rams games as a redshirt freshman, making 37 tackles (six for loss) with one sack. He became a starter the following season and finished as CSU's second leading tackler with 90 tackles along with 7.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.[2] He finished his redshirt junior season with a team-high 109 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and seven pass breakups and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference.[3] He again led the Rams in tackles with 131, including 8.5 tackles for loss and one sack, with four passes broken up and two fumble recoveries and was named second team All-Mountain West.[4] Watson finished his collegiate career with 367 career tackles (27 for a loss), 3.5 sacks and two interceptions in 51 games played.[5]
Professional career
Watson signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent on April 27, 2019.[6] He was waived at the end of training camp during final roster cuts but was re-signed to the Broncos' practice squad on September 1, 2019.[7] The Broncos promoted Watson to the active roster on November 1.[8] He made his NFL debut on November 3, 2019 against the Cleveland Browns.
Personal
Watson's father, Steven, played college football at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He is a cousin of Heisman Trophy winner and NFL running back Billy Sims.[3]
References
- ^ Smith, Michael (May 1, 2019). "Blue Springs South grad Watson relishes chance with Broncos". The Examiner. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ Brohard, Mike (August 9, 2018). "Linebacker Josh Watson has grown into a leader for the Colorado State defense". Reporter-Herald. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ a b Lyell, Kelly (September 7, 2018). "CSU football's Josh Watson hopes to follow Heisman Trophy-winning cousin's path to NFL". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ Kurtzman, Rich (May 3, 2019). "3 undrafted college free agents Broncos fans should know". MileHighSports.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ Wakeman, Travis (May 31, 2019). "Broncos undrafted rookie spotlight: Josh Watson". Broncos Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ "Former CSU football players Preston Williams, Josh Watson sign with NFL teams as undrafted free agents". Fort Collins Coloradoan. April 27, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ Gadon, Jake (September 2, 2019). "Broncos closer to finalizing roster; begin to fill practice squad". KOAA.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ "Broncos rookie LB Josh Watson ready for "electrifying" debut". Denver Post. November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.