The Atlanta Falcons will be notably shorthanded on defense for the foreseeable future. Billy Bowman Jr.‘s Achilles injury will leave him sidelined for at least the next four games.
The Buffalo Bills’ rookie class is off to a rough start this season. And while players around the league whom the Bills had the opportunity to draft are excelling with their respective teams, it’s fair to criticize the direction the Bills took this past spring.
Atlanta Falcons star safety Jessie Bates is a two-time All-Pro. On Friday, he joked that quarterbacks would be better off throwing the ball his way, as opposed to his counterpart in the secondary, rookie Xavier Watts. “At this point, shoot, they got to stop throwing at X [Xavier Watts], they can start throwing at me,” Bates said.
How many of the players with the most recent 10-touchdown (non-passing) season by NFL team can you name in five minutes?
The Atlanta Falcons bounced back in Week 4 with a resounding 34-27 victory over the Washington Commanders, just one week after suffering a humiliating 30-0 loss.
All NFL players enter the season with high hopes, but sometimes seasons don't go as hoped. These 20 players have been some of the biggest disappointments early in the 2025 season.
The Atlanta Falcons’ 2025 rookie class was expected to make a major contribution during this season. Through four weeks, the class has already made an impact, and Atlanta’s rookie safety Xavier Watts was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month on Thursday. The Falcons drafted Watts in the third round (96th overall) of the NFL Draft.
The NFL announced their monthly awards on Thursday, and two Atlanta Falcons were recognized. Bijan Robinson has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month, and Xavier Watts is the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month.
Adjusting to the NFL can be difficult for rookies, but each season, a few stand out almost immediately. Here are five from Week 4:
The Atlanta Falcons selected Xavier Watts out of Notre Dame 96th overall in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Watts nearly came down with his first interception in his first career start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but came up just a hair short. In his second professional game, under the brightest of lights.
The Atlanta Falcons started two rookies in their secondary in their first game of the season, a 23-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Safety Xavier Watts,
The Atlanta Falcons drafted safety Xavier Watts out of Notre Dame with the 96th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. Last Thursday, Watts was named as a starter ahead of Atlanta’s Week 1 divisional showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For years, Thanksgiving belonged to the NFL, but Christmas belonged to the NBA. Occasionally, an NFL game would fall on Christmas, but it was anomalous, even avoided if possible.
Trying to narrow down the 25 best players in the history of Notre Dame's storied football program is no easy task. However, we gave it a go. Listed in chronological order.
Former Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts didn't play a lot in the Falcons preseason opener last week against the Detroit Lions, and he still didn't play a ton on Friday in Atlanta's second preseason game against Tennessee.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – A few days after returning from a minor ailment, rookie safety Xavier Watts was back in the thick of one of the Atlanta Falcons’ most
The Atlanta Falcons invested heavily in the defense in their last two NFL Drafts, particularly in 2025 with two first-round picks being used on edge rushers.
The Falcons were desperately needing depth in the secondary and went with Notre Dame star Watts in the third round. Watts had a very successful career with the Fighting Irish that saw him make the national championship game in his final season.
No team allowed fewer yards in 2024 than the Philadelphia Eagles. But after parting ways with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Super Bowl champs could use a good safety.
Notre Dame S Xavier Watts announced he has declared to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s among the best safeties available in this year’s draft. Watts, 23, was a consensus All-American in 2024.
Here are 10 prospects from the national championship game who will play in the NFL in 2025.
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts has officially been named a consensus All-American, which recognizes the brilliant 2024 campaign he has had for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts continues to pile up postseason honors, and the latest is the star from Nebraska earning first team All-America honors from Sporting News. Watts has been named a first team All-American by Sporting News for two straight seasons.
Xavier Watts burst onto the scene defensively in 2023, bringing home the Bronco Nagurski Award as the nation's best defensive player. The wide receiver-turned-safety then brought Notre Dame good news by deciding to return for his final year of eligibility in 2024, instead of entering the NFL draft.
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts continues to pile up the All-America honors, this time earning another first-team honor from the Associated Press. The Fighting
Height: 6000 (unofficial) Weight: 203 (unofficial) Year: Redshirt Senior Pro Comparison: Justin Simmons Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts is a ball-hawking defender on the back end who boasts elite ball skills and game-changing playmaking.
Unanimous All-American safety Xavier Watts has elected to return to the Fighting Irish for the 2024 season. Winner of the Bronko Nagurski Award as the
The best defensive player in college football plays for Notre Dame. The Football Writers Association of America said so this week when it awarded Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which annually goes to the nation’s top defensive player.
Earlier in the week, Watts, who hadn't been playing up to his standards thus far, talked to reporters about being too indecisive and vowed to change that against USC.
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