The Colts have received some significant (and unfortunate) news on the injury front. Safety Armani Watts has suffered an ankle injury which will keep him sidelined for the entire 2022 season, as announced by head coach Frank Reich (and passed along, on Twitter, by Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star).
Watts, 26, began his career with the Chiefs in 2018. He played primarily on special teams during his four-year tenure there, logging just one start on defense in 53 appearances. He has 58 tackles and two pass defections to his name and joined fellow safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen in departing Kansas City this offseason.
The Texas A&M alum signed with the Colts in April, giving the team a third phase boost and some defensive insurance. He was in line to remain a backup at the time of his arrival, but Indy was left without a key member of the position group when Khari Willis surprisingly retired. His absence pushed Watts up the depth chart, though the latter still likely wouldn’t have been a first-teamer had he avoided this injury, sustained during the team’s preseason finale.
With Willis, and now Watts, unavailable, the Colts still have Julian Blackmon to lean on, and a noteworthy pair of options to pair him with. The team signed veteran Rodney McLeod in free agency and traded up to secure Nick Cross in the third round of this year’s draft. Outside of those three, however, the team is now thin on the backend and could be active in signing at least one free agent as roster cuts loom.
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