Player: S Ryan Watts
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: The Steelers announced they are waiving second-year S Ryan Watts for medical reasons, his NFL career likely over before it began. A sixth-round pick a year ago, he showed promise throughout the offseason. A neck injury he sustained in the preseason finale, however, turned out to be more serious than initial hopes, it would seem.
It’s hard enough to make it in the NFL as a late-round draft pick without dealing with a major injury. Ryan Watts, however, looked like he would make the Steelers’ roster as a sixth-round rookie. He seemingly converted to safety successfully as a former college cornerback and looked the part.
But near the end of the Steelers’ final preseason game, Watts went down with what they initially called a stinger. That will likely be the last snap of football he ever plays. The team announced his waiver yesterday, making the reasons very clear. In consultation with him, his agent, and his doctors, they reached the decision that he should not play football again.
For whatever reason, Watts only had surgery after the season ended, despite being ineligible to play or practice anyway. Perhaps the initial hope was that some healing would take place on its own. Perhaps they needed to wait for one reason or another. Either way, he is only months removed from major surgery. It appeared he had been healing well, Watts participating in some light physical activities. But that was false hope from those who wanted to see him play again.
The hope now, of course, is simply that Ryan Watts lives a full and complete life without restrictions from the severe injury he suffered with the Steelers. At least he earned a year’s worth of NFL paychecks, which should get him started in life.
Presumably, the Steelers knew or had an idea that Watts would not play again for a while. They did sign Juan Thornhill in free agency but downplayed the need for safety help. And they didn’t address the position in the draft, but did add one as a rookie college free agent.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. The dust is settled on both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
