90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – TJ Watt, Duece Watts, Ryan Watts

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offseason workouts ended in mid-June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which begins at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in late July. Leading up to the Steelers’ training camp, we’ll be doing a series of posts looking at the team’s offseason roster, three players at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which also includes projections for each player, will be sorted alphabetically by last name for easy followability. This series is expected to include more than 90 players this year, as the team will be able to bring a total of 91 players with them during the offseason due to the team’s international designation being allowed.

The next players we will feature before the Steelers’ 2024 training camp are TJ Watt, Duece Watts and Ryan Watts.

OLB TJ Watt: Although he again led the NFL in 2023 with 19 sacks, Watt failed to win the league’s annual Defensive Player of the Year award that season. In addition to those sacks, Watt, who was originally selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin, also recorded 68 tackles, 19 for loss, one interception, eight passes defensed, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during the 2023 regular season.

Unfortunately, Watt suffered a knee injury in the Steelers’ final regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens, which ultimately forced him to miss the team’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. Watt finished the 2023 regular season with 931 total defensive snaps and 36 more on special teams.

Not surprisingly, Watt was voted the Steelers’ 2023 Most Valuable Player by his teammates, the fourth time he has received this team honor. He was also named to the AP First-Team All-Pro again in 2023 and was again nominated to the Pro Bowl.

Outlook: Watt is by far the Steelers’ best and most impactful player on defense, and has been for several seasons. Because of this, Watt is expected to compete for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award again in 2024.

Watt could easily put together another double-digit sack season in 2024, and maybe even break the NFL’s all-time single-season sack record. Multiple tackles for loss, forced fumbles, and even an interception or two are certainly within Watt’s reach in 2024 as he hopes to earn another First-Team All-Pro honor.

Injuries are the only thing that could potentially slow Watt down in 2024. He should easily be able to log another 900 snaps on defense in 2024.

WR Duece Watts: The Green Bay Packers originally signed Duece Watts as an undrafted free agent in May 2023 and released him after the end of last year’s preseason. A few weeks into the 2023 regular season, the Steelers signed Watts to their practice squad, and he managed to remain a member of that unit for the remainder of the year.

In January, the Steelers quickly signed Watts to a reserve/futures contract for 2024, keeping the Tulane product from Jones College with the team throughout the offseason.

Duece Watts played 47 preseason snaps on the Packers’ offense in 2023, most of them in the slot. He recorded just one catch for nine yards that season. In addition, he only played six special teams snaps with the Packers during the preseason last year, with no statistics to show for it.

In his three seasons at Tulane, Watts recorded 85 pass catches for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns, as well as 17 rushing attempts for three more yards.

Outlook: In reality, Deuce Watts has an extremely slim chance of making the Steelers’ 53-man roster later this summer, as there are several more viable options ahead of him at the wide receiver position on the team’s roster. Just staying on the offseason roster for the entire preseason would be a major accomplishment for him.

Watts doesn’t appear to have much of a background in special teams, which is something he really needs to focus on during training camp and the preseason, but it’s important to reiterate that he was able to hold down a spot on the practice squad roster for the majority of the 2023 season.

At best, Watts will do enough this summer to secure a spot on the practice squad for the start of the 2024 regular season.

DB Ryan Watts: The Steelers selected Ryan Watts in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Texas over Ohio State. He was also the team’s last pick in this year’s draft. During his college career, he recorded 100 total tackles, five for loss, one sack, three interceptions and three passes defensed. Last season at Texas, Watts recorded 38 total tackles, one for loss and three passes defensed.

While Watts primarily played outside cornerback in college, he also played safety. He was also active on many special teams during his college career. He has a tremendous wingspan and showed in college that he is a physical player.

At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Watts ran his 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds and his 20-yard shuttle in 2.66 seconds. His three-cone time was 6.82 seconds and his vertical jump was 40.5 inches. He earned a RAS rating of 9.81 out of a possible 10.00 points.

Outlook: According to reports from the Steelers’ offseason workouts, Watts appears to be more likely to move to the safety position after playing primarily cornerback in college. This move would make a lot of sense given his athletic profile and college record.

We’ll have to pay close attention to how Ryan Watts is used during training camp and the preseason. Will he be used as an outside cornerback? What about the slot? In short, we have a lot to learn about him this summer, especially position-wise.

Watts should get plenty of opportunities to showcase his skills on special teams this summer. He may get a chance to play both gunner and jammer on the punt teams. That would make a lot of sense for him, especially given his frame and extreme overall length.

Because Watts was selected in the final rounds of the draft, there is no guarantee that he will make the initial 53-man roster later this summer. However, he should have a good chance of making it. If he ultimately fails to earn a spot as a backup defensive back on the 53-man roster, he should be a candidate to begin the regular season on the practice squad.

Previous posts in this series:

90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Montravius ​​Adams, Kyle Allen, Spencer Anderson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Grayland Arnold, Calvin Austin III, Anthony Averett
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Kalon Barnes, Tyler Beach, Keeanu Benton
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Beanie Bishop Jr., Chris Boswell, Marquez Callaway
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jack Colletto, Dylan Cook, Jacob Copeland
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – James Daniels, Daijun Edwards, DeShon Elliott
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jalen Elliott, Troy Fautanu, Breiden Fehoko
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Justin Fields, Joey Fisher, Dez Fitzpatrick
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Zach Frazier, Pat Freiermuth
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Thomas Graham Jr., Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Najee Harris, Nate Herbig, Nick Herbig
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cameron Heyward, Connor Heyward, Alex Highsmith
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cole Holcomb, Donte Jackson, Van Jefferson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jaray Jenkins, Kyron Johnson, Cameron Johnston
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Broderick Jones, Damontae Kazee, Miles Killebrew
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Christian Kuntz, DeMarvin Leal, Logan Lee
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Isaiahh Loudermilk, Dean Lowry, Jonathan Marshall
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Ryan McCollum, Mason McCormick, Nate Meadors
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Scotty Miller, Jeremiah Moon, Dan Moore Jr.
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Tyler Murray, Larry Ogunjobi, Cordarrelle Patterson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – David Perales, La’Mical Perine, George Pickens
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Joey Porter Jr., Willington Previlon, MyCole Pruitt
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Patrick Queen, John Rhys Plumlee, Elandon Roberts
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Mark Robinson, Darius Rush, Josiah Scott
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Isaac Seumalo, Aaron Shampklin, Jacob Slade
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cameron Sutton, Cory Trice Jr., Jonathan Ward
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jaylen Warren, Darnell Washington, Quez Watkins