Pittsburgh Steelers rookie safety Ryan Watts will miss the entire season due to an injury suffered in the preseason, a major setback for the sixth-round pick.
Bollywood Fever: One of the primary goals during the NFL preseason is to avoid major injuries, but as the Pittsburgh Steelers are well aware, that’s not always achievable.
While the team’s star running back Jaylen Warren and rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu suffered injuries, neither was deemed serious, leading many to believe that the Steelers had emerged from the preseason relatively unscathed.
However, the Steelers received their first significant dose of bad injury news on Tuesday. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, rookie safety Ryan Watts will miss the upcoming season.
“Rookie DB Ryan Watts’ injury much worse than feared,” Dulac wrote on Twitter. “He is out for the year.”
The sixth-round pick, who played for Ohio State and Texas, will spend his rookie year on injured reserve. This news comes after Watts left the Steelers’ preseason finale loss to the Detroit Lions with an injury that head coach Mike Tomlin initially described as a “stinger.” Unfortunately, the injury has turned out to be far more severe than originally anticipated.
Before the injury, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound defensive back was making a promising start to his NFL career. Watts, who was transitioning to safety with the Steelers after playing cornerback in college, was giving himself a solid chance to make the 53-man roster as a sixth-round pick.
Had Watts made the roster, he would likely have contributed primarily on special teams rather than as a key defensive player. However, losing a potential depth piece and special teams contributor is a significant setback, particularly for a rookie like Watts.
The Steelers will now need to adjust their plans as they prepare for the regular season, with the loss of Watts impacting their depth in the secondary and on special teams.
Also Read Latest Sports News, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Earns 96 Rating in NBA 2K25: Justified or Underrated?
Aaron Judge and Yankees Struggle Both Offensively and Defensively in Loss to Nationals
Kirk Herbstreit Expresses Concerns Over FSU’s College Football Playoff Hopes After Week Zero Loss
