Earl Watford (born June 24, 1990) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
who is a free agent. He played
college football at
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
, and was drafted by the
Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...
.
High school career
He attended
Simon Gratz High School
Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter, formerly Simon Gratz High School is a secondary school in Philadelphia, named after Simon Gratz (1840-1925), a member of the Philadelphia Board of Education. Originally a public high school operated by the ...
in Philadelphia, and played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
for the Gratz Bulldogs. He was a first-team all-city selection as a senior, and was named to the second-team All-Decade Public Team on the defensive line by the ''Philadelphia News''. Watford did not begin playing football until his junior year and played defensive end for Simon Gratz High School.
College career
Head coach
Mickey Matthews
Michael Chester "Mickey" Matthews (born November 8, 1953) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at James Madison University (JMU) from 1999 to 2013, compiling a record of 109–71. Matthews coached the 2004 ...
stated that the main reason they recruited Watford was his large size. He was originally recruited as a defensive end, but the coaching staff realized he would be better suited to be an offensive linemen.
Watford attended
James Madison University
James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...
in
Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he played for the
James Madison Dukes football
The James Madison Dukes football program represents James Madison University in the sport of American football. The Dukes compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), beginning play ...
team from 2008 to 2012. He started in 37 games over his college career, and was a first-team All-
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) selection as a junior in 2011, and again as a senior in 2012.
Professional career
On January 8, 2013, it was announced that Watford had accepted his invitation to play in the
2013 East–West Shrine Game. On January 19, 2013, Watford played for former
Atlanta Falcons' head coach
Jerry Glanville's East team that lost 28-13 to the West. Watford was one of 57 collegiate offensive linemen to attend the
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...
in
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
. He completed all of the combine drills and finished fifth among all offensive linemen in the vertical and ninth in the
40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a h ...
. On March 18, 2013, Watford attended James Madison's pro day, but chose to stand on his combine numbers and only perform positional and blocking drills. During the draft process, attended private workouts and meetings with a few teams, including the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
,
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
, and
Arizona Cardinals.
At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, NFL draft experts and scouts projected Watford would be a fourth or fifth round pick. He was ranked the seventh best offensive guard in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
Arizona Cardinals
The
Arizona Cardinals selected Watford in the fourth round (116th overall) of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...
. Watford was the 14th player ever selected in the
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
from James Madison. He also became the fourth highest selection in the school's history. Earlier in the draft, the Arizona Cardinals also selected
North Carolina's guard
Jonathan Cooper
Jonathan Javell Cooper (born January 19, 1990) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina, where he earned All-American ho ...
in the first round (seventh overall).
2013
On June 4, 2013, the Arizona Cardinals signed Watford to a four-year,
$2.59 million contract.
Throughout training camp, Watford competed against
Chilo Rachal
Chilo Rachal (born March 15, 1986) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California.
Early years
He played high school fo ...
,
Daryn Colledge
Daryn Wayne Colledge (born February 11, 1982) is a former American football offensive guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He was selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers and ...
,
Jonathan Cooper
Jonathan Javell Cooper (born January 19, 1990) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina, where he earned All-American ho ...
,
Paul Fanaika,
Mike Gibson, and
Senio Kelemete
Senio Kelemete (born May 10, 1990) is an American football offensive guard who is currently a free agent. He attended the University of Washington from 2008 to 2011. Kelemete has also played with the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and ...
for the starting offensive guard role. Head coach
Bruce Arians
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...
named Watford the backup offensive guard behind starters Daryn College and Paul Fanaika to begin the regular season. Watford spent the entire season in the bench and was inactive for all 16 regular season games.
2014
The following season, Watford competed against Jonathan Cooper for the vacant starting left guard role after the departure of Daryn College to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
in free agency. Watford and Cooper were named the backup offensive guards behind starters
Paul Fanaika and
Ted Larsen
Theodore Larsen (born June 13, 1987) is an American football guard who is a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at NC State.
Post-football Career
After a ...
to start the regular season.
On September 18, 2014, he made his professional regular season debut during the
Arizona Cardinals' 25-14 victory at the
New York Giants. He missed five games during the season (Weeks 8-12) after suffering a high ankle sprain. He finished the season with ten games and zero starts as the Arizona Cardinals finished second in the
NFC West
The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Ang ...
with an 11-5 record. On January 3, 2015, Watford played in his first career playoff game as the Arizona Cardinals lost to the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
27-16 in the NFC Wildcard game.
2015
During the off season, the Arizona Cardinals saw the departure of
Paul Fanaika, signed free agent guard
Mike Iupati, and moved Ted Larsen to center. With Iupati slated as the starting right guard, Watford competed against
Jonathan Cooper
Jonathan Javell Cooper (born January 19, 1990) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina, where he earned All-American ho ...
for the vacant starting left guard position. In an unexpected move, the Arizona Cardinals named Watford the starting right tackle, ahead of
Bradley Sowell
Bradley Keith Sowell (born June 6, 1989) is a former American football tight end/offensive tackle, he played college football at the University of Mississippi. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as undrafted free agent in 2012, and later spe ...
. He would replace
Bobby Massie who was in the midst of serving a two-game suspension after an incident during the week of the
Super Bowl.
He made his first career start in the
Arizona Cardinals' season-opening 31-19 victory over the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. On December 8, 2015, the Cardinals placed Watford on injured/reserve after he suffered a hand injury, effectively ending his season. He finished the season with two starts and appeared in eight games. Watford also missed three games during the season (Weeks 6-8).
2016
The Arizona Cardinals signed
Evan Mathis
Evan Bradley Mathis (born November 1, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by the C ...
to be the starting offensive guard opposite
Mike Iupati. Watford competed for a backup guard role against
Cole Toner
Cole Toner (born March 13, 1994) is an American football center who is a free agent. He played college football at Harvard and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
College career
Toner started at rig ...
. Head coach
Bruce Arians
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...
named him the backup left guard to Iupati to start the regular season.
After starting the season in a reserve role, Watford was named the starting right guard for a Week 3 loss at the
Buffalo Bills. Evan Mathis was inactive after suffering a foot injury. Watford was named the starting right guard for the rest of the season prior to the Arizona Cardinals' Week 6 victory over the
New York Jets. He replaced Evan Mathis in the lineup after Mathis suffered an ankle injury and was placed on injured/reserve for the remainder of the season. He finished the 2016 season with ten starts in 15 games.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On March 11, 2017, the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
signed Watford to a two-year, $6 million contract that included $750,000 guaranteed and a
signing bonus of $250,000.
Throughout training camp, he competed against
A. J. Cann
Aaron Cann (born October 23, 1991) is an American football Guard (American football), guard who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina Gamecocks football, South Carolina, and was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL ...
and
Patrick Omameh for one of the starting guard jobs. Head coach
Doug Marrone
Douglas Charles Marrone (born July 25, 1964) is an American football coach and former offensive lineman who is the offensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the head coach a ...
named Watford the backup to
A. J. Cann
Aaron Cann (born October 23, 1991) is an American football Guard (American football), guard who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina Gamecocks football, South Carolina, and was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL ...
and
Patrick Omameh to start the regular season.
He was released on September 8, 2017.
Arizona Cardinals (second stint)
On October 2, 2017, the Arizona Cardinals signed Watford after starting left guard
Mike Iupati suffered a triceps injury and was placed on injured reserve. The terms of his contract were for one-year and $775,000.
Upon arrival, he was named the starting right guard with
Alex Boone
Alexander Boone (born May 4, 1987) is an American football guard who is a free agent. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He has also spent time w ...
moving to the left. He started Weeks 5-14, was inactive for 15-16, before returning for the season finale. He finished with a total of ten games and nine starts.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave him a 36.7 overall grade, but gave him "high quality" marks for run and pass blocking.
Chicago Bears
On April 3, 2018, Watford signed a one-year contract with the
Chicago Bears. He was released on August 26, 2018.
Cleveland Browns
On August 28, 2018, Watford was signed by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On March 15, 2019, Watford signed a one-year contract with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
.
New England Patriots
On December 15, 2020, Watford was signed to the
New England Patriots practice squad. He was released on December 29, 2020.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)
On January 15, 2021, Watford signed with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
. He was waived on January 22, and signed to the team's practice squad on January 27. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on February 16, 2021.
On August 12, 2021, Watford re-signed with the Buccaneers.
He was placed on injured reserve on September 6, 2021. He was released on September 14.
References
External links
James Madison Dukes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watford, Earl
Living people
1990 births
Players of American football from Philadelphia
American football offensive guards
American football offensive tackles
James Madison Dukes football players
Arizona Cardinals players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Chicago Bears players
Cleveland Browns players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
New England Patriots players