TE Ben Watson Released by Patriots After Serving 4-Week Suspension

Ben Watson's time with the 2019 New England Patriots ended before he ever stepped on the field.

New England announced it released the tight end Monday after signing him as a free agent in May. He was suspended for the first four games of the season for failing a drug test, and ESPN's Field Yates noted he was eligible to return for Sunday's game against Washington.

However, he did not play in that victory and is now no longer on the team.

According to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk, the Patriots had until 4 p.m. ET on Monday to add him to the 53-man roster if they were going to keep him in the fold. While they still paid him a $600,000 signing bonus, releasing him provides an additional $2.06 million in salary-cap space.

Watson is 38 years old and has been in the league since the Patriots selected him with a first-round pick in 2004, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported he would still like to play instead of retiring.

The veteran played his first six seasons with New England and has been a member of the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens since. He set career highs across the board in 2015 with the Saints and tallied 74 catches for 825 yards and six touchdowns.

New England has struggled at the tight end position this season after Rob Gronkowski retired.

Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse have combined for just seven catches for 138 yards and one touchdown.