Cincinnati Bengals

Eagles sign running back with incredible backstory

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:36 p.m. ET

Fansided, Ryan Quigley/FanSided via Inside the Iggles

The Eagles signed a new running back and his story is amazing.

It was announced Tuesday via Twitter that the Philadelphia Eagles have signed running back Terrell Watson to their practice squad.

You’ve probably never heard of Watson, but he has a story that you will never forget.

The Guardian’s Les Carpenter did a full story on Watson earlier this summer and it will absolutely know your socks off.

The bell rang at Billy and Janice Watson’s modest townhouse in Oxnard, California, early one September evening in 1993. This is odd, Billy thought, opening the door. They had just returned after a day at the Ventura County fair with their four-year-old son Billy Jr, and weren’t expecting anybody. Upstairs, he could hear Janice preparing the child for a bath. He looked outside and saw only their quiet neighborhood street and the retirement apartments across the way. Then he glanced down. Tucked in an alcove beside the front door, surrounded by bags of clothes was a basket and inside the basket was a baby boy, no more than two weeks old.

Watson was left on the doorstep of Billy and Janice Watson as a newborn baby and would eventually become their own son. Watson dealt with a learning disability that forced him to take special education classes as a child, but his love and dedication to the game of football helped him battle through some of his hardships.

Watson attended Azusa Pacific University, where he scored 79 touchdowns and rushed for close to 6,000 yards during his college career. He broke all of Azusa Pacific’s rushing records which were previously held by former NFL great Christian Okoye.

After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, Watson spent the season on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad. He would eventually sign with the Cleveland Browns and spend time on their practice squad before being released in October. Watson’s most recent destination was Denver, where he spent a little over a month on the Broncos’ practice squad before being released.