Ben Watson Injury: Updates on Ravens TE's Achilles and Recovery

The Baltimore Ravens announced that tight end Ben Watson suffered a torn Achilles tendon on the first play of Saturday night's preseason game against the Detroit Lions and won't return this year. An exact timeline for his recovery has yet to be released.

Continue for updates.

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Watson Out for Season 

Sunday, Aug. 28

ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley reported that the Ravens are expected to place Watson on injured reserve by Tuesday, as they must trim the roster to 75 players by then.

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Ravens Lose Valuable Veteran Presence

The veteran is in his first year with the Ravens. He's coming off the best season of his career, hauling in 74 passes for 825 yards and six touchdowns with the New Orleans Saints.

Baltimore plucked him off the free-agent market on a two-year, $7 million deal. He wasn't expected to be nearly as active in the passing game but remained a solid all-around player, given his blocking ability and solid hands.

"He's a run-blocker. He's very productive in the passing game. He can run all the routes. He makes plays in both areas. He makes third-down conversions," head coach John Harbaugh said at the time of the signing, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. "Every type of offense that he's played in, he's been productive as a pass-catcher and as a blocker. He's a complete player."

Watson's emergence had pushed Crockett Gillmore and former second-round pick Maxx Williams, whom many expected to take over this season, to part-time roles. However, both should get their chance at impressing the team with Watson out of the lineup and Dennis Pitta nursing a broken finger. 

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