Three days after officially signing with the Los Angeles Rams, Carlos Watkins was in uniform and ready to take the field. And it didn’t take long for the former 2017 4th-round pick to make his presence felt.
The Rams are no strangers to throwing a player into the mix shortly after their arrival. Famously, in 2022, Baker Mayfield led the team on a game-winning drive less than 48 hours after signing with the team. Watkins’ fell into a far less pressure-packed situation, but even his coaches had to be reminded of his newness in the system.
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Sean McVay joked during the game that he had to remind himself of that during practice when Watkins was confused by a defensive play call. McVay even noted that Watkins knew far more Cowboys than Rams during the teams’ joint practice last week.
Watkins was drafted by the Houston Texans. After playing out his rookie contract he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to a two-year $2.8 million deal. He spent last year with the Arizona Cardinals but was limited due to a bicep injury, playing in fewer than 10 games for just the second time in his seven-year career.
Midway through the 3rd quarter of the Rams’ preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers made his presence felt. Luis Perez dropped back to pass the ball from their own 36-yard line on a 3rd and 4. Watkins quickly flushed Perez from the pocket. Watkins caught the QB in a bear hug, pinning his arms to his waist which dislodged the ball. The fumble was recovered by Ochaun Mathis.
At the time the game was tied 6 to 6. With great field position, the Rams drove to the one-yard line, but an errant pass by Stetson Bennett was intercepted on a 4th and 1. Apart from the last-second mistake, Watkins set the Rams up perfectly.
