Tampa Bay Buccaneers Move OL Earl Watford from COVID List to IR

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a pair of moves surrounding offensive lineman Earl Watford on Sunday.

First, the veteran guard was activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Bucs said. Subsequently, he was placed on Injured Reserve, the team announced. 

Watford and Nick Leverett were originally placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Aug. 27.

The Bucs now have four players on the injured reserve list including Watford, outside linebacker Cam Gill and offensive guards Sadarius Hutcherson and John Molchon. All but Hutcherson, who tore his ACL in the preseason opener vs. Cincinnati, will be eligible to return to the team after three games.

Watford, who previously spent two years on and off with the team, returned to Tampa Bay in mid-August after the team was in need of depth on the offensive line.

Watford spent part of the 2019 and 2020 seasons in Tampa Bay, appearing in 15 games and starting four for the Bucs in 2019. He bounced between the Bucs active roster and the practice squad in 2020, also spending a brief time with the New England Patriots in December before returning to the Buccaneers practice squad during the playoffs and through the Super Bowl run earlier this year.

In his career, Watford has appeared in a total of 71 games and made 25 starts.