The Los Angeles Chargers are staying the course with Jaylen Watkins. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the team will bring back Watkins on a one-year deal.
DB Jaylen Watkins is returning to the #Chargers on a 1-year deal, source said. Watkins tore his ACL during a very promising preseason and now is back in LA for another year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 15, 2019
The five-year veteran tore his ACL in the Chargers' 24-14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on August 18th. He'd previously established himself as a cog in Los Angeles' secondary with a strong training camp that led some to believe he might start at safety ahead of Derwin James, the team's mega-talented first-round pick. James, of course, went to have a banner debut for the Chargers, finishing his rookie campaign with 105 tackles, three and-a-half sacks, and three interceptions.
Watkins first entered the league in 2014 after four years at the University of Florida. A fourth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, he played just four games as a rookie, spending most of his time on the team's practice squad. He was released by the Eagles after training camp of his second season, and was then signed to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad, where he was a teammate of brother Sammy Watkins. But Watkins' tenure in Buffalo proved even more short-lived, leading him to re-sign with Philadelphia after just 10 weeks with the Bills. He went onto emerge as a key contributor of the Eagles' special teams units, appearing in 28 total games between the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Last offseason, Watkins signed a one-year deal with the Chargers. Though he certainly won't start over James going forward, Watkins, if healthy, has all the makings of a valuable special-teamer who can ably fill in on sub packages. Los Angeles allowed the ninth-fewest passing yards in the league last season.
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