Baltimore Ravens’ tight end Ben Watson has torn his Achilles, according to the official team Twitter account.
He was injured on the second play of the Ravens’ preseason game.
The Ravens signed Watson away from the New Orleans Saints in March, inking him to a two year, $7 million deal. $2 million of that was a signing bonus.
The likely starter, Watson reemerged last season, setting career highs with 74 catches and 825 yards. At 35, he was one of the league’s biggest surprises. An Achilles injury will end his season and probably his career. He’ll turn 36 in December and an injury of that nature may be too severe to overcome.
Replacing him will be Maxx Williams and Crockett Gilmore. Dennis Pitta has worked his way back from a career threatening hip injury but broke his finger and hasn’t practiced since August 1st. Defensively, Matt Elam underwent knee surgery and the team lost rookie Bronson Kaufusi to a broken ankle, ending his season, early in camp.
It’s already been a challenging year for the Ravens’ offense. Breshad Perriman got hurt, the running attack has nothing resembling a clear leader, and rookie Chris Moore missed two weeks with a foot injury.
