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90 In 30: Steelers 2024 Training Camp Preview Series — T.J. Watt, Duece Watts, Ryan Watts

By Dave Bryan

Posted on July 17, 2024 at 7:15 am

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offseason practices concluded in the middle of June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which gets underway in the latter part of July at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Ahead of Steelers training camp, we will preview the team’s offseason roster three players at a time as part of a multi-post series. This Steelers roster preview, which includes outlooks for every player, will be done alphabetically by last name to make it easy to follow. This series figures to exceed 90 players this year as the team can carry 91 players in total during the offseason due to the allowance of one international player designation.

The next set of players we will preview ahead of the Steelers’ 2024 training camp are T.J. Watt, Duece Watts, and Ryan Watts.

OLB T.J. Watt: Even though he led the NFL in sacks once again in 2023 with 19 of them, Watt failed to win the league’s annual Defensive Player of the Year award for the season. On top of those sacks, Watt, who was originally selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin, also registered 68 total tackles, 19 for loss, one interception, eight passes defensed, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during the 2023 regular season.

Unfortunately, Watt sustained a knee injury during the Steelers’ regular season finale against the Baltimore Ravens, which ultimately forced him to miss the team’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. Watt ended the 2023 regular season having played 931 total defensive snaps and 36 more on special teams.

Not surprisingly, Watt was voted the Steelers’ 2023 Most Valuable Player by his teammates. It marked the fourth time he had won that team honor. He was also voted an AP First-Team All-Pro again in 2023 and was a Pro Bowl selection once again.

Outlook: Watt is easily the Steelers’ best and most impactful player on the defense, and that has been the case for several seasons now. Because of this, Watt should be expected to make another run at the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024.

Watt could easily post another double-digit sack season in 2024 and perhaps even make a run at the NFL’s all-time sack record for a single season. Multiple tackles for loss, forced fumbles, and even an interception or two are certainly attainable for Watt in 2024 as he looks toward garnering yet another First-Team All-Pro honor.

Injuries are the only thing that could possibly slow Watt down in 2024. He should easily log another 900-plus snaps on defense in 2024.

WR Duece Watts: The Green Bay Packers originally signed Duece Watts as an undrafted free agent in May of 2023, and after last year’s preseason ended, they waived him. A few weeks into the 2023 regular season, the Steelers signed Watts to their practice squad, and he managed to remain a member of that unit for the remainder of the year.

In January, the Steelers quickly signed Watts to a 2024 Reserve/Futures contract, and the Tulane product via Jones College has thus been with the team throughout this offseason.

Duece Watts played 47 preseason snaps on offense with the Packers in 2023, with most of those coming in the slot. He registered just one catch for nine yards in that playing time. Additionally, he logged just six special teams snaps with the Packers last year during the preseason with zero stats to show for it.

In his three seasons at Tulane, Watts registered 85 receptions for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns to go along with 17 rushing attempts for three additional yards.

Outlook: In reality, Deuce Watts has an extremely low chance of making the Steelers’ 53-man roster later this summer, as there are several more viable options at the wide receiver position ahead of him on the team’s depth chart. Merely staying on the offseason roster throughout the preseason would be a huge accomplishment for him.

Watts does not seemingly have a huge special teams background, which is something he really needs to concentrate on during training camp and the preseason. It is important, however, to note again that he was able to hold a practice squad roster spot for most of the 2023 season.

At best, Watts will do enough this summer to secure himself a practice squad spot to start the 2024 regular season.

DB Ryan Watts: The Steelers selected Ryan Watts in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Texas via Ohio State. He was the team’s last selection in this year’s draft as well. For his college career, he registered 100 total tackles, five for loss, one sack, three interceptions, and three passes defensed. Last season at Texas, Watts recorded 38 total tackles, one for loss, and three passes defensed.

While Watts mainly played the outside cornerback position in college, he also logged some snaps at safety. He also played his fair share on special teams throughout his college career. He possesses a huge wingspan and showed in college that he is a physical player.

At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Watts ran his 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds and his 20-yard-shuttle in 2.66 seconds. His three-cone time was 6.82 seconds, and his vertical jump was 40.5 inches. He scored a 9.81 RAS rating out of a possible 10.00.

Outlook: According to reports during the Steelers’ offseason practices, Watts appears to be making more of a transition to the safety position after mostly playing cornerback in college. That move would make a lot of sense due to his athletic profile and college tape.

We need to pay close attention to how Ryan Watts is used during training camp and the preseason. Will he get any snaps at outside cornerback? How about in the slot? In short, we have a lot to learn about him moving forward into the summer, especially regarding his position.

Watts should get a lot of opportunities this summer to show his special teams abilities. Perhaps he will get shots at playing both gunner and jammer on the punt teams. That would make a lot of sense for him, especially due to his build and extreme overall length.

As a late-round draft selection, Watts is not guaranteed to make the initial 53-man roster later this summer. That said, he should have a fighter’s chance to do so. Should he ultimately fail to secure a backup defensive back job on the 53-man roster, he should be a candidate to start the regular season on the practice squad.

Previous Posts In This Series:

Related Items:2024 Training Camp, Duece Watts, Ryan Watts, T.J. Watt

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