Eric Watts

Not to be confused with Erik Watts.

Eric Watts (born October 1, 2000) is an American professional football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UConn Huskies.

Eric Watts

Watts with UConn in 2022
No. 58 – New York Jets
Position	Defensive end
Roster status	Practice squad
Personal information
Born	(2000-10-01) October 1, 2000 (age 25) Sumter, South Carolina, U.S.
Height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight	277 lb (126 kg)
Career information
High school	Sumter
College	UConn (2019–2023)
NFL draft	2024: undrafted
Career history
New York Jets (2024–present)
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Total tackles 13 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

From Sumter, South Carolina, Watts attended Sumter High School where he played football and basketball, being selected to the Offense–Defense All-American Bowl in football while helping the team win county and region championships.^[1] As a senior, he had 8 1/2 sacks while helping Sumter win ten straight games.^[2] He committed to play college football for the UConn Huskies.^[3]

College career

Watts began seeing extended action at UConn as a true freshman in 2019.^[4] He appeared in all 12 games that year and totaled 30 tackles.^[5] The team's 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, Watts played 10 games while accumulating 39 tackles.^[6] He appeared in 13 games in the 2022 season and posted 49 tackles while leading the team in both tackles-for-loss (10) and sacks (7.0), additionally blocking two kicks and having two forced fumbles.^[1] He had 34 tackles and two sacks as a senior in 2023 and was invited to participate at the 2024 Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.^[7][8]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 5+5⁄8 in (1.97 m)	274 lb (124 kg)	35+3⁄4 in (0.91 m)	9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m)	4.67 s	1.65 s	2.73 s	4.38 s	7.48 s	36.5 in (0.93 m)	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)	21 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10]

Watts signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2024.^[11] He was also selected by the Memphis Showboats in the fifth round of the 2024 UFL draft on July 17.^[12] Watts made the Jets' initial 53 man roster out of training camp as a UDFA.

On August 26, 2025, Watts was waived by the Jets as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.^[13][14]