Usually when you see a player cash in on the free agent market despite a small sample size, it’s a backup quarterback. They can benefit greatly from seeing little time on the field and excelling in spot duty (see: Flynn, Matthew). But sometimes it works for other positions too. That appears to be the case with Menelik Watson.
The former second round tackle started just 17 games over four seasons in Oakland. Injuries had him miss most of his rookie season in 2013, all of the 2015 season, and he never played a full season. The result was this offseason when he became a free agent, he still was seen as having a great deal of potential and signed a lucrative long term deal with the Denver Broncos.