Eric Watts

Eric Watts (born October 1, 2000) is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football for the UConn Huskies.

Early life From Sumter, South Carolina, Watts attended Sumter High School where he played football and basketball, being selected to the Offense–Defense All-American Bowl in football while helping the team win county and region championships. As a senior, he had 8 1/2 sacks while helping Sumter win ten straight games. He committed to play college football for the UConn Huskies.

College career Watts began seeing extended action at UConn as a true freshman in 2019. He appeared in all 12 games that year and totaled 30 tackles. The team's 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, Watts played 10 games while accumulating 39 tackles. He appeared in 13 games in the 2022 season and posted 49 tackles while leading the team in both tackles-for-loss (10) and sacks (7.0), additionally blocking two kicks and having two forced fumbles.

Professional career

Watts signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2024. Watts made the Jets' 2024 53 man roster out of training camp.

On August 26, 2025, Watts was waived by the Jets as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. On December 10, he was signed to the active roster.

Watts was waived with an injury settlement by the Jets on August 14, 2026.