When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected former Texas defensive back Ryan Watts in the 2024 NFL draft, we felt like the Steelers got a bargain. As training camp and the preseason went on, we cooled on Watts a bit but still felt like he had a shot to make the final 53-man roster.
Unfortunately, Watts suffered what head coach Mike Tomlin originally called a stinger in the team’s final preseason game but turned out to be much more than that. After seeing the team’s initial 53-man roster and Watt was absent, beat writer Gerry Dulac posted that the injury was significantly worse and Watts would miss the entire 2024 season.
Rookie DB Ryan Watts’ injury much worse than feared. He is out for the year.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) August 27, 2024
The Steelers kept four safeties on the roster. Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott as the starters. Damontae Kazee and Miles Killebrew will serve as the only reserves on the roster.
