The Cleveland Browns officially have announced that tight end Benjamin Watson, a six-year fixture of the Patriots’ offense, has signed a multi-year deal to join former New England defensive coordinator Eric Mangini.
“We viewed Ben as one of the top all-around tight ends in the free agent market,” G.M. Tom Heckert said in a team-issued release. “Because of his athleticism and intelligence, he has proven valuable as both a receiver and blocker during his career, and has performed well in both facets. He comes from a winning program in New England and possesses the traits that we like in a player. We feel as though he can help us in many different areas and we are excited about his addition to our team.”
The Patriots made no real effort to keep Watson, who visited Seattle before heading to Cleveland. Both teams reportedly were attempting to ink Watson.
The Pats are now very thin at the position, as our buddy Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com has pointed out. And the free-agent market is relatively bare; many of the best remaining free agents (like Bo Scaife, Owen Daniels, Anthony Fasano, and Tony Scheffler) are restricted free agents.
