Last year, Markees Watts defied the odds. He made the Bucs' final roster as an undrafted free agent. Watts played a rotational role on defense and contributed on special teams in 2023. In 2024, Watts is prioritizing consistency on the gridiron to engender trust from the coaching staff.
"Consistency, and really staying off the 'M.E.' (mental error) list," noted Watts. "That's been a huge goal for me. Last year, as hard as I studied, I would get out there and still have an 'M.E.' here and there. It adds up. If I have one and another guy has one, and a couple of plays down the road, you've got 10. I've [emphasized] staying off the 'M.E.' Board, and I'm doing a good job of staying consistent and being able to be trusted by the coaches."
In Preseason Week two against the Jaguars, Watts tallied a sack. Late in the third quarter on third-and-long, Watts fired off the line of scrimmage and pushed the offensive tackle back on a bull rush, forcing him down into the splits for a free run at the quarterback. He has added power to his game and possesses a high motor on the field – both of which were evident in North Florida. Watts concluded his collegiate tenure at the University of South Carolina as the team's all-time sack leader (21.5), breaking the previous feat set by former teammate, Alex Highsmith. He did not have the size measurables that defensive coordinators covet at the position (6-foot-1, 240 pounds), but his quickness is evident on the field. Entering Year Two, Watts discussed his approach and process of elimination.
"So far, I've just been building [a] process," said Watts. "I've been going on this path, making sure that every week, I do the things that bring me success and [eliminate] the things that have not. In [the] past, I've been working on that here and there, [but] I didn't see success in a couple of moves, so I scrapped those. I reemphasized and practiced the ones that [worked], and I worked with George [Edwards], getting his [mindset] on everything. We just sat down, we game-planned, and it's worked. It worked in the game, and that's a process that I plan to continue to work on, sitting down with George and doing [it on a weekly basis] …A wise coach once told me that a man should fear not the man who could do 10,000 kicks but a man who can do the same kick 10,000 times."
Watts has witnessed the longevity and production of Lavonte David and is striving to achieve that same urgency and constructiveness on the field day-in and day-out. Instead of trying to add bulk to his pass rush repertoire, Watts is focused on refining what he does best, and the work has paid dividends.
