Steelers Safety DeShon Elliott Detailed Unfortunate Nature Of Rookie Ryan Watts' Injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a number of solid additions to an already stellar defense in the 2024 offseason. Particularly in the secondary, the Steelers signed DeShon Elliott in free agency to come in as the new starting safety along with Minkah Fitzpatrick. Elliott's presence already made an impact for the defense, as he picked off Kirk Cousins in his first game with the black and gold. Along with Elliott, the Steelers picked up Texas product Ryan Watts in the late rounds of the 2024 draft, who was transitioning from cornerback to safety. 

Watts, a 22-year-old who is 6'3" and 212 pounds, entered the draft as a cornerback that not many were high on. Many draft experts anticipated a switch from corner to safety for Watts, wherever he would end up. His inability to keep up with fast receivers forced him to transition to the backend, where he would learn from Fitzpatrick and Elliott. 

Through three Steelers preseason games, Watts collected 12 total tackles at safety, eight of which were solo tackles. Unfortunately, by the end of the final game against the Detroit Lions, Watts suffered a serious injury which would be described as a "stinger." Watts took a hard hit to the head, which would end his rookie year. 

After a seemingly smooth switch from corner to safety, Watts injury was a letdown. After all of the injuries Pittsburgh suffered with their defensive backs in 2023, they need all the depth they can get. Elliott recently told how well Watts was doing in the preseason, and is disappointed seeing the rookie sidelined. 

"He has the intangibles, physically. He has it athletically," Elliott said. "Ryan is a very smart player. He was catching on at safety very well, very fast. So, it's very disappointing. Eventually, he will get a chance to get back out there and get to it. But we'll miss him."

Steeler Nation won't be seeing Watts again until 2025, where hopefully he grows into a pivotal factor on the defense. For now, Pittsburgh will be counting on Elliott, Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee and Terrell Edmunds, who just reunited with the team since his departure after 2022. 

Elliott and the rest of the Steelers' defense have some favorable matchups in the next few weeks when they go up against the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, both of whom lack play-makers on offense. Look out for Elliott continuing to make an impact for Pittsburgh's defense.

Steelers' New Defensive Additions Already Making A Drastic Difference Compared To 2023

From time to time, the Steelers' defense last season would either struggle with stopping the run or allowing big passes down field. After one week, neither of those issues became a problem for the Steelers. In 2023, the Steelers led up the 14th most rushing yards and the 16th most passing yards. Neither were actually horrible, but the defensive backs were a liability. Pittsburgh allowed an average of 227 passing yards and 115 rushing yards per game. 

In their Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, the defense only allowed 155 passing yards from Cousins and less than 90 yards on the ground. Not only that, along with Elliott's interception, new cornerback Donte Jackson picked off Cousins in the final minutes of the game. Between Elliott, Jackson, and Patrick Queen, this defense is miles ahead of last year's unit. 

If the defense continues the way they played in Atlanta, then this unit could quickly become the best in the league. Pittsburgh's under-the-radar additions this offseason may come to surprise many fans around the league. What kind of impact do you think Watts could have in 2025 when he is fully healthy again? What kind of year is this defense in store for? Let us know in the comments below.

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