Mike Tomlin Provides Update on Ryan Watts’ Surgery After Frightening Injury

The final moments of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason were among the most fearful of the season.

In the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions, sixth-round rookie defensive back Ryan Watts took a knee to the head/neck area. He was able to walk off the field, joined by trainers, but he wouldn’t return to it in game action for the rest of the year.

Head coach Mike Tomlin described the injury as a stinger, and shortly thereafter Watts was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Watts’ rookie campaign was quickly over; his football future was abruptly uncertain.

On Instagram, Watts shared a surgery update after his scary injury, posting a photo of himself in a hospital gown and neck brace. It isn’t clear when the photo was taken or how far along a hypothetical recovery track Watts is on.

Steelers rookie sixth-rounder Ryan Watts sustained a significant, scary neck injury in the final preseason game. Looks like he got surgery recently after spending his entire first season on injured reserve. pic.twitter.com/ddQcNw9SyK

— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) January 25, 2025

“This has easily been the hardest year of my life,” Watts captioned the story.

“Through serious injury and all I will remain optimistic because I can do ALL things through HIM. Road to recovery…”

Watts was envisioned as a hybrid safety/corner type due to his length and exciting athletic profile. He was an unfinished product coming out of Texas. But at 6-foot-3, over 200 pounds, with elite burst and agility numbers, his profile screamed untapped potential.

The Steelers certainly could have used some of it down the stretch.

“I am just still talking to the doctors to find the best plan for me,” Watts told Chris Adamski in November. “They’re trying to clear me as soon as possible, really.

“I am sure I will be back out there. Just have got to have a plan and a plan to be back out there as safe as possible. I am sure I will be back out there by next year.”

Watts was forced to redshirt his rookie season, and his eyes remain on 2025. It would be ambitious to expect him to play a major role in Pittsburgh’s plans given his recovery and draft capital, but getting back on the field in any capacity would be a win for the Steelers and their young safety.