The New York Giants today added their second former Arizona Cardinal to their roster in as many days. Today they signed veteran defensive tackle Gabe Watson, a 6-foot-3, 333-pound five-year veteran. Monday they added tight end Ben Patrick to their roster.
Watson is expected to provided depth to a thin defensive tackle rotation. The Giants lost Barry Cofield to free agency and released veteran Rocky Bernard. Prior to signing Watson the Giants had only veteran Chris Canty, unproven second-year player Linval Joseph and rookie second-round pick Marvin Austin as players they felt they could rely on.
Watson, 27, has played in 62 regular season games with 21 starts and in six postseason games with one start (Super Bowl XLIII vs. Pittsburgh). He has been credited with 83 tackles (38 solo), 2.0 sacks, two passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
In 2010, Watson played in seven games for the Cardinals and had seven solo tackles. He played all 16 games (all starts) for the only time in his career in 2007, when he set a personal best with 39 tackles.
Most of his experience has been as a 3-4 nose tackle, but the Giants generally play a 4-3 front.