Buy Or Sell: Ryan Watts will push Damontae Kazee off the roster.
Explanation: The Steelers have a number of crowded position groups this year, including an abundance of cornerbacks. They look to be trending toward keeping six of them, with three locks at safety. That includes Miles Killebrew, a special teams ace, who still counts in the numbers game. Ryan Watts is making some plays as a rookie, but Damontae Kazee is an experienced veteran. Yet he has a penchant for missing tackles, as he did in the preseason opener. Releasing him and forgoing that experienced third safety option would save them $3 million in cap space, minus displacement.
Buy:
The Steelers opted to retain Damontae Kazee over Keanu Neal, signing DeShon Elliott in free agency, but did they anticipate Ryan Watts? Kazee is here for depth, but Watts is looking like he could handle at least some of those responsibilities. He seems to be adjusting well to safety, and is contributing in practice as a dime defender.
Frankly, Damontae Kazee misses too many plays and has too small a role to make $3 million. The Steelers could release him and then circle back to him later for less money. I’m not convinced that he will find another job in short order, especially with the soft-ish safety market.
Sell:
One very important factor to note is that this is not a Damontae Kazee OR Ryan Watts scenario. The most likely outcome, as we sit here today, is that both make the 53-man roster. While Watts is a feel-good story right now, he is not prepared to be one snap away from starting at safety. He is still learning the position, for one thing—and learning from Kazee.
Yes, Kazee makes his share of mistakes, and they merit concern. But he is also an experienced veteran, and you know the Steelers value that. He is a strong communicator, which is all the more important when playing nickel or dime. Watts is not ready for all of that yet, even if he might be in time.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL Draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
