Pittsburgh Steelers DB Ryan Watts suffers season-ending injury

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Ryan Watts will miss his rookie season, the franchise announced. The former Texas standout was placed on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday as the Steelers finalized their 53-man roster.

Watts left last week’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions with what Mike Tomlin described as a “stinger” in his press conference. However, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac said the injury was worse than the team originally feared, and Watts will be out for the year.

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Watts appeared in all three of the Steelers’ preseason games, totaling 13 tackles. Pittsburgh selected him in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State and Texas. His biggest season came in 2023 when he had 51 tackles, including four for loss and a sack, to go with an interception in his first year with the Longhorns.

Watts appeared to be making an impression through training camp ahead of his rookie year. Tomlin spoke highly of him earlier this month, specifically citing his ability to communicate on defense so early in his career.

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“He’s getting better, getting better every day,” Tomlin said, via Steelers Depot’s Josh Carney. “A component of that man is his communication skills. A young guy that communicates as clearly as he does, it kind of indicates something. And so, he’s headed in the right direction.”

Steve Sarkisian: Ryan Watts ‘has a bright future’ in NFL

Ryan Watts was a key piece of Texas’ defense as the program made its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance a season ago. He had 38 tackles as the Longhorns fell to Washington in the national semifinal, and Steve Sarkisian spoke highly of what he brings to the Steelers.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been known for their physical defense and they made a great choice in Ryan Watts as a player to help carry on that tradition,” Sarkisian said in a statement. “He is a long, big, physical corner who did great things for us. He’s a guy we played into the boundary and really put him one-on-one with a lot of teams’ best receivers there. He’s also a physical player in the run game who has pass rushing ability, blitzing from the corner spot. He’s very effective in the run game, as well as pressuring the quarterback, combined with having the length to force people to make contested catches in the passing game. Those are all attributes that are going to translate well to the NFL.

“Any time you’ve got the size, speed and skills that he possesses, there’s always going to be a market for that guy at the second level. The Steelers got them a great player who is all about being a great teammate who will give everything he has to help the team win. I know (Mike) Tomlin and everyone in Pittsburgh will love Ryan and I’m excited to see him in the NFL. He has a bright future as a player and is a tremendous person as well.”