Pittsburgh Steelers rookie DB Ryan Watts still has his sights set high on his future with the team. That is in spite of the fact that he doesn’t know when he will be able to play again. The sixth-round pick suffered a neck injury in the preseason finale. Because the team placed him on IR before roster cuts, he is ineligible to return this season.
From the sounds of it, though, that was never likely. Chris Adamski spoke to Watts recently, who said he is still seeking medical clearance from his doctors. To be clear, that is not medical clearance having anything to do with professional football duties. Because he is on IR, the Steelers cannot permit him to do anything physically in the first place. Not for the entire season, because he, again, is ineligible to practice, let alone play, this year.
“I am going to do what (rehab) I can here so I continue being with the team, continue watching practices and continue being in the meetings so I can learn as much as I can”, Ryan Watts said, via Adamski. “I am just still talking to the doctors to find the best plan for me. They’re trying to clear me as soon as possible, really”.
Watts suffered his neck injury on Aug. 24, and we’re now nearly into December. While his injury certainly looked painful at the time, I don’t know that many anticipated an injury this serious. Of course, because he is on IR, the Steelers have no obligation to provide any information. Not the nature of his injury, nor his progress from it.
Drafted 195th overall, Ryan Watts played outside cornerback at Texas. The Steelers, however, signed him envisioning a move to safety. He spent the majority of his time playing that position and seemed to show some progress. While he still had yet to earn a roster spot, there was some optimism that he could be a player.
At the moment, the Steelers have Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, Damontae Kazee, Cameron Sutton, and Miles Killebrew at safety. They previously had Jalen Elliot on the 53-man roster, a sign that they had a place for Watts.
At 6-3 and 212 pounds with a 4.53-second 40 time, the Steelers were intrigued by Watts as a versatile defensive back. While they didn’t see him purely as an outside corner at the NFL level, their plan for him seemed to be working.
The good news is that plan seems merely to be on hiatus. While Watts is still seeking medical clearance, it seems a question of when and not if. “When the doctors give me that green light, I’ll be ready to go”, he told Adamski.
Even though three of the players are on IR, the Steelers retained their entire 2024 draft class this year. It’s the second year in a row in which they retained all of their draftees, an extreme rarity for them. Like Watts this year, Cory Trice Jr. spent his rookie season on IR. Albeit with speed bumps along the way, he has proven that you can come back and make a name for yourself as a late-round pick.
