Steve Sarkisian updates the health of injured defensive backs Anthony Cook, Ryan Watts
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian offered an update on injured defensive backs Ryan Watts and Anthony Cook ahead of the Longhorns matchup with Kansas State on Saturday. Cook left the game against Oklahoma State on Oct. 22 with injury and Watts had been hurt the week prior, but played against the Cowboys.
While he wasn’t particularly verbose, Sarkisian did have positive news regarding both Watts and Cook. It’s not a comprehensive prognosis, but it seems like both could be on track to play.
Watts and Cook “both look pretty good to me,” Sarkisian said according to Joe Cook of On3’s Inside Texas.
Both players have appeared in all eight games for Texas this season.
Watts, a transfer from Ohio State, has one interception and a tackle for loss, plus three passes defended. Cook has a forced fumble, 2.5 tackles for loss and half a sack in eight games.
Earlier in the week, Sarkisian said both players were making good progress
Although Sarkisian could not say for certain on Tuesday that either Cook or Watts will play this week, he did indicate they are trending in the right direction.
“I think it’s probably a little too early (to say whether they’ll play),” the coach said. “Both guys are making really good progress for us right now. All of the guys that were banged up, we’re all moving in the right direction for everybody.”
Cook suffered a broken arm against Oklahoma State on Oct. 22. Although that might seem like an injury that would keep him sidelined for a while, Sarkisian described him as week-to-week last week.
The senior defensive back had been one of the defense’s most productive players through the first half of the season. So far in 2022 he has logged 44 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, 0.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Cook has provided a stable presence in the secondary for years now, logging starts all the way back to 2018. In his career he has recorded 150 tackles, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
As for Watts, it appears much more likely that he will be able to play Saturday. He suffered an unknown injury that caused him to leave in Week 7 against Iowa State, but returned the following week against Oklahoma State to record two tackles and an interception.
On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report