Former Steelers Fullback Derek Watt Retires

Former Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Derek Watt is retiring from football, he announced on social media on Tuesday. After the Steelers let Watt walk following the 2023 season, he had trouble finding another team willing to sign him, and after a full season out of the NFL, Watt is now walking away.

THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/7t8pssogZe

— Derek Watt (@DerekWatt34) March 12, 2024

Watt spent three seasons with the Steelers from 2020 to 2022 and played four seasons with the Chargers before that. All in all, the former Wisconsin fullback ended up carving out a solid career as a special teams ace who could flash some versatility at times on offense. Following J.J. and Derek’s retirements, only one Watt brother is left in the NFL. That would be T.J., the star Steelers edge rusher.

Watt finishes his career with three touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing, while amassing 71 yards rushing and 178 receiving yards over his career in the NFL.

“I am retiring from this incredible game feeling full of gratitude and satisfaction knowing that I gave it my all each and every day,” Watt said in his statement. “Never took any shortcuts and achieved so many of my goals along the way. It was all worth it.”

Since Watt left, the Steelers never replaced him as a fullback. Instead, they used more tight-end sets, with Darnell Washington slotting into that area more often. Connor Heyward has sometimes played some fullback, but he remains more of an H-Back who can move around the formation and slot in anywhere. With Arthur Smith in town, a fullback seems likely to accompany that, but the question remains on just how important the position is in the modern NFL and how much use the Steelers can get out of it, specifically.