The Pittsburgh Steelers placed two rookies on season-ending injured reserve today, with both sixth-round pick S Ryan Watts and undrafted free agent Julius Welschof going on the list. Neither were designated to return, so their seasons are over. The Steelers announced the moves after making their final roster cuts today.
Watts was on the roster bubble but suffered a scary head/neck injury in the closing minutes of the team’s preseason finale against the Detroit Lions. Welschof, who was among the preseason sack leaders after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Charlotte, also got hurt in the team’s preseason finale, with what Mike Tomlin called a knee injury.
While neither will play for the Steelers in the 2024 regular season each will remain with the organization. The Steelers did designate two players to return from IR in OT Dylan Cook and OLB Jeremiah Moon, but Watts and Welschof will miss the season. Only players who are placed on IR today can be designated to return, which is why players like Breiden Fehoko and Grayland Arnold (who have since reached injury settlements and are no longer with the organization) would’ve been out for the season if they remained with Pittsburgh after being placed on IR, and why C Nate Herbig is out for the season.
Both will miss their rookie seasons but hopefully will come back and potentially be contributors for the Steelers in future seasons. Watts was raw after moving to safety after primarily being a cornerback in college while Welschof had limited collegiate experience in stops at Michigan and Charlotte. A year to rehab, get healthy,and be around an NFL organization and learn from their teammates could be beneficial for both.
Pittsburgh’s final 53-man roster saw Jalen Elliott make the team, and that’s a spot that could’ve potentially gone to Watts had he been healthy. The team also carried just three outside linebackers, with DL DeMarvin Leal expected to serve as the fourth outside linebacker early in the season, or at least until Moon is able to return from injured reserve.
It’s a tough break for two players who showed some promise but were raw in Watts and Welschof, but at least they’ll remain part of Pittsburgh’s organization for this season.
