New England Patriots release veteran tight end Ben Watson

New England Patriots' Benjamin Watson (84) is congratulated by teammate Kevin Faulk after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of a NFL divisional playoff football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008 in Foxborough, Mass. (Charles Krupa/AP)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots have released tight end Ben Watson.

The team announced the move on Monday. It came shortly after Watson tweeted that he didn’t do enough to earn a roster spot.

Watson was eligible to make his debut for the Patriots against Washington on Sunday. But the 38-year-old wasn’t activated after serving a four-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance following the 2018 season.

Watson planned to retire after last season but was courted by several teams. The Patriots eventually signed him to a one-year, $3 million deal as they looked to fill the hole created by the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.

But with Watson out the Patriots got by with 27-year-old Matt LaCosse and 23-year-old Ryan Izzo sharing snaps.

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