Watts’ retirement comes is a result of a neck injury
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced today that the organization has released former Texas Longhorns cornerback Ryan Watts, according to Yahoo! Sports. Watts, who’s just 23 years old, suffered a neck injury as a rookie last season.
Sad news: The #Steelers are releasing 2024 6th-round Ryan Watts, and he is expected to medically retire after suffering a brutal neck injury in the preseason.
Ryan never got to play in a real NFL game.
He is 23 years old.
Praying for his recovery pic.twitter.com/Vw8Z2wMn5R
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 28, 2025
“Unfortunately, today we are releasing Ryan Watts from our roster. After consulting with our medical team, medical experts, and Ryan’s representatives, we all agree that it is in Ryan’s best interest to discontinue playing football at this time,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan wrote in a news release. “We will continue to assist and support Ryan as he transitions to the next phase of his life.”
Watts’ injured occurred during the final preseason game of the 2024 NFL season; the Steelers faced off against the Detroit Lions.
Watts began his college career at Ohio State, where he developed for two seasons before joining the Longhorns’ program. Watts would conclude the final two seasons of his college career at Texas, where he notched 89 total tackles over the span of 24 games played.