Dekoda Watson (born March 3, 1988) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He was selected by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

in the seventh round of the

2010 NFL draft The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Early life

Watson attended South Aiken High School in

Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the most populous city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. According to 2020 census, the population was 32,025, making it the 15th-most populous city in South Carolina, and one of the two largest ci ...

, where he was a letterman in football and track. In

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

, he recorded 123 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a senior, earning him all-state honors by SCVarsity.com and all-southern team by the ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...

''. In his junior season, he registered 102 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 18 sacks from the defensive end position. Watson was named Defensive MVP after recording nine tackles and a sack for the South Carolina team in the annual North Carolina–South Carolina Shrine Bowl. In

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

, Watson was an standout athlete as sprinter/jumper. At the 2006 Region 4-4A, he captured two state titles, winning the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

with a leap of 42 ft 10 in (13.10 m), and running the lead leg on the South Aiken

4 × 100 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky i ...

, helping them win the event with a time of 42.59 seconds. In addition, he also earned a second-place finish in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

, with a PR time of 11.07 seconds. Considered a three-star recruit by ''

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'', Watson was listed as the No. 25 outside linebacker in the nation. He chose

over

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, and

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

College career

In his initial year at Florida State, Watson played in 12 games and earned one starting assignment at the weakside linebacker position against

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, stepping in for the injured

Geno Hayes Eugene Antonio Hayes (August 10, 1987 – April 26, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Florida State Seminoles, he was selected b ...

. He totaled 23 tackles to finish second on the team among first year players (second to

Myron Rolle Myron L. Rolle (born October 30, 1986) is an American neurosurgeon and former professional football safety. He played college football at Florida State, and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He attend ...

) in total tackles, and earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors by ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

''. As a sophomore, Watson started all 12 games during the regular season at the strong side linebacker position and ranked fifth on the team with a single-season career-high 50 tackles. In his junior year, he ranked fourth among Seminoles defenders with 46 tackles.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Watson was selected by the

in the seventh round of the

. Watson was signed to a four-year contract on June 18, 2010.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Watson signed with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

on March 12, 2014. He was waived on November 11, 2014.

Dallas Cowboys

Watson signed with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

on November 13, 2014, just four days after playing against them as a member of the

. He was released on May 8, 2015.

New England Patriots

Watson signed with the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

on May 12, 2015. On August 31, 2015, the Patriots released Watson. On September 16, 2015, the Patriots re-signed Watson. They released him again on September 30, 2015. Watson was once again signed by the Patriots on December 29, 2015.

Denver Broncos (first stint)

On May 16, 2016, Watson signed with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

San Francisco 49ers

On March 17, 2017, Watson signed a three-year deal worth $6 million with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. On September 8, 2018, Watson was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on November 1, 2018. On December 5, 2018, Watson was placed on injured reserve for the second time in a year with a calf injury.

Denver Broncos (second stint)

On April 27, 2019, the 49ers traded Watson, along with a sixth round draft pick, to the Broncos in exchange for a fifth round pick. He was released on August 26, 2019.

Seattle Seahawks

On October 30, 2019, Watson was signed by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, but was released two days later. On December 18, 2019, Watson was signed for the second time by the

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Dekoda 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Aiken, South Carolina American football linebackers Florida State Seminoles football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Jacksonville Jaguars players Dallas Cowboys players New England Patriots players Denver Broncos players San Francisco 49ers players Seattle Seahawks players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen