Former Chiefs safety Armani Watts injured with Colts

Armani Watts was a long-time special teams ace and safety for the Chiefs who signed with the Colts this offseason. He’s unfortunately out for the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs let veteran safety Armani Watts go into free agency after his rookie contract ran out this past offseason. Watts signed with the Indianapolis Colts afterward. The Colts don’t have a ton of household names at safety, so it seemed likely that Watts would make the roster as a backup or special teamer at the least.

Unfortunately, Watts got hurt in the third preseason game that the Colts played on Saturday.

Watts had his moments in Kansas City over the last four years but really made his name playing on special teams. When he did hit the field for the defense it was usually as a rotational player.

It makes sense that Watts was hoping to carry over his special team prowess to the Colts, and maybe find a spot in their defensive backfield, but unfortunately, that is not going to happen this year. Pro Football Reference confirmed what Meirov reported in that Watts will miss the entire season. It’s a tough blow for Watts.

Picked in the fourth round (which was originally part of the trade package sent by the Rams to Kansas City for Marcus Peters) in 2018, Kansas City fans may not be as familiar with Armani Watts as they should be. The fact that he stayed on the roster for all four years of his rookie contract shows that the Chiefs found him fairly valuable on special teams. He played his role and even won a Super Bowl with the team.

When he exited the team along with Daniel Sorenson and Tyrann Matthieu, it really left the Chiefs with a hole at safety. Unlike some other player exits this season (I won’t name names), Watts didn’t trash the team, and most Chiefs fans should have been hoping to see him succeed elsewhere. It’s tragic that it won’t come this year, but hopefully, the Colts keep him around and allow him to contribute in future years.