T.J. Watt‘s return should be coming sooner than later, and it sounds like the organization is targeting a specific return date. According to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, the Steelers are optimistic that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year could be back on the field for Week 6 against the Buccaneers.
[RELATED: Steelers To Place T.J. Watt On IR]
This is the earliest possible date for Watt’s return after the Steelers placed him on injured reserve in mid-September. When Watt first suffered his injury, it was uncertain if he’d even be able to return this season. We later learned that his pectoral injury wasn’t as severe as initially believed, but it wasn’t a slam dunk that he’d be good to go after only four weeks on IR. Ultimately, it sounds like he’s speeding toward that lofty target, and for what it’s worth, La Canfora writes that Watt has been pushing to return as soon as possible.
Watt suffered the injury in Week 1 after collecting six tackles, three tackles for loss, and an interception. He had 72 sacks through his first five seasons with Pittsburgh, including 37.5 sacks over the past two years alone. The Steelers haven’t won since losing Watt to injury, losing each of their past three games after winning the season opener.
Since Watt went down with his injury, Alex Highsmith has stepped up as the team’s top pass rusher, collecting 5.5 sacks through four games. Malik Reed has also seen an uptick in snaps, culminating in him earning two straight starts. Reed collected 13 sacks for Denver between 2020 and 2021, so the Steelers will be eyeing some significant pass-rushing depth once their top guy returns to the lineup.
I’ve never seen a team be so night and day without one player on defense. I was all in on them drafting o-line first round next year (with their top ten pick) but now I’d be okay with a inside linebacker or a d lineman
I agree with leaning towards dline and run staffers now.
I wouldn’t call it night and day tho.. they can’t stop the run whether TJs in there or not .. difference is QBs can’t 3 step drop with TJ coming off the edge.
Alualu has been a disappointment, maybe another solution could be the rumblings that JJ Watt could play his final season with his bros in black n gold
Alualu was 35 coming off a season ending ankle injury…. how in the world could anyone expected anything other than this from him? Yeah sign another injury prone Watt that also makes perfect sense.
lmao idk
Does this seem rushed? I don’t get it. 1-3 with an anemic offense. They just don’t seem playoff relevant. Why put a stud back out there so soon, IMHO, off injury? Unless Steeler brass believes they r playoff relevant?
because the best team in the division is 2-2
because they have a new QB that’s anything but anemic. mistake prone yes, but definitely not anemic , a word that clearly defined Trubisky
and I highly doubt this is rushed. maybe not overly cautious , but very doubtful that they’d rush this guy.
Agree to disagree on this one. Rushed and the rook QB is very suspect. Anemic O indeed.
well thanks for your medical advice and predetermined outcome of the offense after on 30 minutes with a new qb
The Jets never prepared for Pickett. Now that he’s the starter, teams will prepare to confuse him. Expect some struggles
I’m looking forward to watching you eat crow. The kid is the real deal. But again, I’m expecting this to look a lot like when Burrow became starter. Won’t matter much as the team needs a great deal of help
I’ve never said that he won’t be good. Nobody knows. Do you think you know more than the scouts for other teams? I’m guessing no. Just look at the higher rated quarterbacks from recent years that are nothing. I admit that it’s too early to tell on Wilson, Fields and Lance but it’s not too early to say that Mayfield, Darnold, Rosen, Love and Lock are busts. Steeler fans act like Pickett is the next Burrow or Andrew Luck.
I’m with you Deerhunter. Pretty sure they didn’t anticipate Trubisky bombing and this early. Way to early to tell if Pickett is legit. Tough spot for a rook. I wish him well. And if I have to eat crow on this one, fair enough.
Deer- Pittsburgh fans act like Pickett is a savior, if he was elite he wouldn’t of lasted until 20, and 5 QB needy teams wouldn’t of passed on him.
LOL. So that’s all it comes down to, eh? Where you’re drafted….that says it all. Hilarious. Pardon me. I just have to laugh at guys whose understanding of athletics comes down to drafts or analytic numbers.
Yeah, Pittsburgh fans are like any other fans. They have high hopes, magnified by the fact that it’s a local star
Give it a rest already. What is it, the Steelers have been too successful over the past 50 years for your liking? Grow up
And to Deer Hunter, I just hope we are both on this forum a couple years from now, so one can say to the other, “I told you so”
I told you so…
…just in case I’m not here in a few years
Lol nah actually I’m a Steeler fan I’m just not a deer in headlights like most of them. I see the writing on the wall when it’s there. Athleticism? Watch the Bills chew this kid in and spit him out Sunday. Pickett is gonna look a lot like Peterman by the end of the season. Remember him? The other Pittt QB the whole city applauded and what’d he do exactly??..
ya all the teams that already had QBs should’ve taken Pickett.. thanks for your sound logic
It’s called value for your money. If he were so great, Tampa could have traded up and had Brady’s replacement for next year. Indy could have done the same. You don’t have to have an immediate need for something.
indy and Carolina would’ve done well to draft Pickett
We shall see
Indy, Washington, Detroit, Houston, Panthers, Giants, Falcons, Seahawks were ALL QB needy teams that could’ve drafted this savior before us. NONE of them saw first round talent. The Saints could’ve too and have a Winston replacement, nope they picked twice and STILL didn’t pick the next ‘Dan Marino’. But yeah, thanks for your sound logic.
remember when almost every team passed on TJ Watt , including taking guys like Takk McKinley as well as Myles Garrett with the 1st overall pick?
good times. good times.
Every team has hits and misses, although Garrett isn’t really a miss. McKinley is. So is trading up for Bush. So is the guy the Steelers took early last year to play center. Even my Eagles miss on picks
Garrett is absolutely a miss when u took him 1st overall and a DPOY and single season sack leader goes later in the draft
point is, just because all the dumb orgs like Colts passed on Kenny , doesn’t mean HOF GM Colbert was wrong to take him at 20.
You didn’t just make that stupid argument. So because one player happens to win DPOY, then the other guy who has double digit sacks every year is a “miss”? You can’t put Pickett in the same category as Watt and Garrett. I remember you were saying that Pittsburgh has a top 3 defense in the league before the season started. The Eagles are 4-0 and yet you don’t see me on here boasting about it. Steeler fans are the worst
well let’s see, they passed on Mahomes and Deshaun Watson to get the best defender in the draft , and didn’t.. so yes they completely failed with the 1st pick
the eagles haven’t beaten anyone and the steelers still have a top 3 D when Watt is out there
they have 2021 DPOY Watt and projected 2022 DPOY Minkah
their defense can absolutely get them in the playoffs and proved it last year
and also I don’t mean steelers are making the playoffs , simply that their defense is good enough to carry a team to the playoffs
and while we’re at it, regardless of what even happens in Buffalo tomorrow,
steelers sit at 1-3 .. the best team in the division is 2-2 , and the Ravens play the Bengals this week , so one will be 2-3 ..
it’s a long season, and steelers will be a new team with Watt and Kenny after a few games under his wings
not saying probable, but anything can def happen , and I’d rather be sitting here optimistic about Kenny P’s steelers, than still stuck with Mitch and Mason
I give you credit. You are a homer.
ya a lot of losers were calling for Haskins to start over Ben last year and also thought steelers had no chance at playoffs …
yet it happened
the same people who said Pickett would never slide to the steelers are the same ones saying we should’ve got him 2nd round.
I’m used to the dumb opinions.
saying a team that’s 1-3 , trailing teams that are 2-2 , has a chance to turn things around with a new QB and game-changing edge rusher returning..
isn’t a dumb opinion , especially when their 1 win is against last year’s AFC champion.
maybe I could be more clear in agreeing that the Steelers have some scary issues ,
but the point is the Bengals, Ravens and Browns have a bevy of issues themselves to worry about.
Like I said, I give credit for sticking with them when most people don’t. You’re a true fan.
Local media reporting today that some “insider” believes Watt suffered a setback and his return may be delayed. Who knows? Like someone said above, the team still can’t stop the run and has a porous secondary
Sit out all year. The season is dead, the QB’s stink, the 1st round RB stinks, the ‘all-world’ defense stinks. Just collect that check TJ. The way your brother’s career went, you’ll probably play 10 more games in that big ol contract you got there.
pretty much the same team that made the playoffs last year
Minus Roethlisberger. A guy who knew where and when to throw the ball. I think Pittsburgh had 5 come from behind victories last season. They have none this year. The Bengals game, they never trailed.
Lol Big Ben took this team to the playoffs, something none of the 3 QBs here now could do
ur just a hater for no reason.
get out of your own way and see thar Kenny P has many of the tools that made prime Russell Wilson a superbowl champion
that’s my comparison, a mobile, accurate qb, who can throw downfield from time to time but is mostly a west coast chains mover who can scramble if u leave the lanes open
if u thought Ben was good or even average last year, then I lose all respect for you
No one said Ben was good, but he was a veteran, he knew how to win games late. You need to take off your Steeler blinders and realize the kid has no tools. Comparing him to prime Wilson is a JOKE! Prime Wilson had the best defense ever behind him, the Steelers have a bunch of washed up wanna be’s who can’t stop the run, the pass, hell they make the school of the blind look amazing. I would say I lost my respect for you, but I never had any to begin with.
steelers d line was even worse last year..
I guess I’m just confused as to why you think Kenny can’t win games
kinda just sound like a hater to me
Yeah Savior Pickett alright LOL this team is washed
you think Kenny did bad?
His decision making was awful, he consistently over threw receivers, and well he put up 3 points. He is awful
I guess completion % is wayyy over your head
65% including about 6 or 7 drops and over 300 yards through the air in his first ever start
pretty impressive stuff.. way better than Jalen Hurts first start, and that’s a fact
You’re right Goku, he had a 65% comp % we should just give him the win. Forget he only got 1 scoring drive, or threw 52 times, he completed 65%!! Put him in the HOF!!!!! Bum. Talk to me when the kid wins a game and doesn’t throw a stupid interception.
pretty obvious you don’t understand fractions
the fact that he threw 52 times makes 65% completion % even more impressive
your boy Hurts hasn’t thrown a TD in 2 games
Hurts past 2 weeks (combined):
443 yards 0 TD 1 INT
Pickett 1 single game (1st start of career)
327 yards 0 TD 1 INT
5-0. It’s a team sport and it’s about winning. As for Pickett, I didn’t watch the game but I assume since Buffalo had such a huge lead, Pickett was given a lot of underneath stuff and then Buffalo clamped down. Throwing for that amount of yards and only producing 3 points kinda suggest that’s what happened. He kept his interception streak alive. What happened to a top 3 defense like you said? I’m guessing if Watt played, Pittsburgh would have shut them out and won 3-0
probably, given that the steelers beat the bills last year due to Watts performance
How do you know it wasn’t because of Joe Schobert?
Buffalo would wipe their ass 10/10 times with this pitiful team the Steelers claim is competent.
Lol my boy Hurts? One I’m not an Eagles fan, 2 I don’t give a rats ass about hurts. Great try though. ***Ball thrown 15 feet over DJ head****
***Steelers fans blame DJ for dropping a ball Andre the Giant couldn’t of caught***
I must of missed that play because it didn’t happen.
Lol rewatch the game kid
no chance I’ll ever rematch that game.
and ok I’ll believe that happened one time ,
but Claypool and DJ are clank and clang for the sound the ball makes when it hits them right in the hands on 3rd down over and over
Don’t expect Watt to play like his usual self even when he takes the field.