T.J. Watt

Steelers Designate OLB T.J. Watt For Return; WR Calvin Austin’s IR-Return Window Closes

October 26th, 2022 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

T.J. Watt has run into multiple injuries since the season began. A pectoral issue in Week 1 initially put the reigning Defensive Player of the Year’s season in jeopardy, and a subsequent knee surgery lengthened his recovery timetable. But Watt took another step on the road back Wednesday.

The Steelers opened Watt’s practice window, designating him to return from IR. Pittsburgh has three weeks to activate Watt. Not doing so would result in the perennial All-Pro missing the rest of the season.

The latter outcome will take place for Calvin Austin. Pittsburgh has let the fourth-round rookie’s designated-for-return window close without an activation. Austin sustained a foot injury in August, and the Steelers will give him a full season to heal. He reverts to season-ending IR.

Hopes of a potential Week 6 Watt return ended up being too optimistic, with the knee surgery changing his recovery outlook. But Watt returning to practice now will be a nice benefit to the Steelers. The team has a Week 9 bye, so it would not surprise if Watt is held out until Week 10. But the sixth-year outside linebacker can be activated at any point in the next three weeks. The Steelers have not used any of their injury activations yet. Austin’s shutdown increases Pittsburgh’s flexibility over the season’s final three months.

Watt, 28, is building a Hall of Fame resume. While he may not have solidified first-ballot Canton status like J.J. Watt just yet, the youngest of the NFL’s Watt brothers has earned first-team All-Pro recognition in each of the past three seasons. T.J.’s 52 sacks from 2019-21 are on another level from the rest of the league; Aaron Donald‘s 38.5 sit second in that span.

A Ravens draft target as well, Austin totaled back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons at Memphis. The Steelers, who have established a long-running track record of wide receiver development, took Austin despite drafting George Pickens two rounds earlier. While Wednesday’s news represents a setback, the 162-pound rookie’s progress in Pittsburgh’s offense will be worth monitoring in 2023.

Steelers’ T.J. Watt Undergoes Knee Surgery

October 8th, 2022 at 9:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers will likely have to wait longer for the return of their top defender. Edge rusher T.J. Watt recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor and Adam Schefter.

Watt has been sidelined since suffering a torn pectoral muscle in the season opener. The fact that he was able to rehab the injury left him available to return at some point in the season. That time was expected to be Week 6, but this knee procedure will likely cause him to miss at least one or two more weeks.

The surgery was aimed at cleaning up an injury the reigning Defensive Player of the Year suffered during the preseason. Given the delay it will likely cause, his ability to return before the team’s Week 9 bye is now very much in doubt. To no surprise, the Steelers will be particularly cautious with respect to his rehab, per the report.

Watt has been instrumental to Pittsburgh’s success throughout his career. The team has lost all seven of the games they have played with him sidelined due to injury, including each of the last three contests in 2022. In his absence, Alex Highsmith and Malik Reed will continue to be leaned on as starters at the position, one which has contributed to the fact that Pittsburgh has only recorded three sacks since Week 1.

The Steelers’ decision to hand the role of starting quarterback to first-round rookie Kenny Pickett will be the dominant storyline tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Bills. Even if they pull off the upset and improve to 2-3, however, they will likely remain without the most important member of their defense for several weeks to come.

Steelers Hoping T.J. Watt Can Return Week 6

October 6th, 2022 at 10:54pm CST by Ben Levine

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.

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.

Steelers To Place T.J. Watt On IR

September 15th, 2022 at 9:00am CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers received good news earlier this week on the T.J. Watt front. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year avoided season-ending pectoral surgery. Watt’s chest injury will still keep him out for a while, however.

Although this has not become official yet, ESPN.com’s Field Yates notes Watt will be placed on IR (Twitter link). Pittsburgh is also signing outside linebacker David Anenih off Tennessee’s practice squad. These moves are now official.

An IR placement ahead of Week 2 means Watt’s return window would open in Week 6. It is not yet certain the accomplished pass rusher can hit that mark, the Watt family’s success at rehabbing injuries notwithstanding. But the sixth-year veteran could make it back in as early as five weeks. While the Steelers could be cautious with their top player, Watt returning before the midseason point represents a vast status improvement compared to where this situation appeared headed after he left the team’s opener.

Anenih will be the latest Steelers outside linebacker hire for a Steelers team that has turned this group over in recent weeks. Alex Highsmith now becomes the team’s top healthy edge, but his supporting cast looks vastly different compared to its August complexion.

Three-year Broncos fill-in starter Malik Reed will take on that role for the Steelers, being acquired for just a 2023 seventh-round pick. The Steelers also claimed Jamir Jones off waivers from the Jaguars earlier this month. Former second-round Washington pick Ryan Anderson — who was not with a team last season — is now on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. Third-year outside ‘backer Delontae Scott joins Anderson on Pittsburgh’s P-squad, but the team has otherwise overhauled its set of backup edge defenders.

Anenih is a rookie UDFA out of Houston who was one of many current NFL rookies — Kenny Pickett among them — to enter the league after using the fifth year of eligibility the NCAA allowed after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Anenih totaled a career-best 10 tackles for loss to go along with five sacks. During his five-year Cougars career, Anenih tallied 20.5 sacks. The Titans allowed Anenih to leave, rather than promote him to their active roster. That is a somewhat interesting move considering the team recently lost top edge rusher Harold Landry for the season.

The Steelers will face the Patriots, Browns, Jets and Bills without Watt. Three more games — against the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Eagles — come before the team’s Week 9 bye. Watt’s new timetable would point to that stretch being his activation window.

AFC Injury Notes: Ravens, Watt, Bengals

September 14th, 2022 at 9:14pm CST by Ben Levine

J.K. Dobbins returned to practice today, with the running back hoping to make his long-awaited return to the field this Sunday. The Ravens running back admitted that his injury “wasn’t just a normal ACL,” with Dobbins explaining that he tore his ACL, LCL, hamstring, and meniscus at the end of the 2021 preseason (per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley on Twitter). It’s been just over a year since Dobbins suffered his injury.

“It would mean the world to me if I can go out there this Sunday and play well in front of a full house,” Dobbins said (via Hensley).

Fellow running back Gus Edwards also missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL, but thanks to his placement on PUP, he’ll have to sit out the first four games of the season. Still, Edwards took to Instagram to tell fans that he continues to progress in his recovery and eventual return to the field.

“For everybody wondering about my recovery I’m doing great and I’m very close,” Edwards wrote.

More injury notes from around the AFC…

The news keeps getting better for T.J. Watt and the Steelers. The star linebacker could recover from his partially torn pectoral muscle within five weeks, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. There was initial fear that Watt had completely torn his pec, which would have ended his season. The news quickly got better; we learned yesterday that Watt wouldn’t need surgery and could be back within six weeks.
Bengals long snapper Clark Harris is expected to miss an extended amount of time after tearing his biceps, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). While Zac Taylor didn’t want to rule out the LS for the season, he did acknowledge that the 38-year-old will miss at least a few months (via ESPN’s Ben Baby on Twitter). Harris, a one-time Pro Bowler, has been with the organization since 2009. Cal Adomitis will get the first shot to replace Harris at long snapper.
J.C. Jackson has been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Chiefs, and Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said earlier this week that the cornerback has a “50-50” shot at playing (per NFL Network’s James Palmer on Twitter). Jackson previously suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss the team’s Week 1 victory over the Raiders. After earning a second-team All-Pro nod with the Patriots in 2021, Jackson joined Los Angeles this offseason on a five-year, $82.5MM deal. Meanwhile, both Chargers wideout Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (ankle) have been ruled out for Thursday’s showdown.
Mac Jones dealt with back spasms following the Patriots‘ Week 1 loss to the Dolphins, but the quarterback continues to improve, according to NFL Network’s Mike Giardi (on Twitter). A source told Giardi that the QB is “doing everything he needs to” in order to be on the field for this weekend’s matchup against the Steelers. Jones and the Patriots offense struggled during the season opener, with the second-year QB guiding New England to only one touchdown.

Steelers’ T.J. Watt Will Not Require Surgery

September 13th, 2022 at 1:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

The best-case scenario has been confirmed with respect to T.J. Watt. The Steelers’ top defender will not require surgery, and he will begin the rehab process which should keep him sidelined for roughly six weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (on Twitter).

Watt suffered a torn pectoral muscle, as was initially feared. However, as Rapoport details, the tendon was not torn, leaving rehab as an alternative to what would have likely been season-ending surgery. By taking the former route, Watt will be able to return at some point relatively soon, as he confirmed (on Twitter) this afternoon.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Watt’s absence will still be felt, of course. Pittsburgh will turn to 2020 third-rounder Alex Highsmith and recent trade acquisition Malik Reed as starters on the edge. Not surprisingly, the team has already taken steps to add depth at the position, though.

The Steelers signed Ryan Anderson to the practice squad, per Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). A former second-round pick, the 28-year-old never lived up to his draft stock during his four seasons in Washington, with his best career season coming in 2019 (44 tackles, four sacks, five forced fumbles). He initially signed with the Giants last offseason, but was cut in August and did not see any action in 2021.

Anderson could see himself elevated on gamedays; the Steelers are also likely to be active in searching for more depth options on the open market. It remains to be seen if Watt will be placed on IR to open a roster spot, but the fact that he will return around the midway mark of the season is a hugely positive development for the Steelers’ 2022 aspirations.

Steelers Hopeful T.J. Watt Can Return In October

September 13th, 2022 at 8:35am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 13: More information is still being gathered, but there is a growing sense that surgery will not be needed and that, as a result, Watt will indeed be able to return in roughly six weeks (Twitter link via Rapoport). His colleague Tom Pelissero tweets that the Steelers are likely to place him on IR given that timeframe, though they have yet to do so.

SEPTEMBER 12: The next couple of days will be important for the Steelers’ 2022 defensive aspirations. Fears of T.J. Watt having suffered a torn pectoral muscle have not been proven unfounded, but the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year is not being shut down for multiple months just yet.

Watt will receive second and third opinions from doctors on Tuesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter report (Twitter links). A surgery would likely lead to a season-ending shutdown, but the Steelers are also optimistic Watt did not suffer a full tear. The team is hopeful Watt, in the event of a partial tear, could to return in around a month, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (on Twitter).

Pittsburgh’s wild overtime win finished without Watt, who left the field during the fourth quarter. The NFL’s two-time reigning sack leader posted a sack — one of the Steelers’ seven on Joe Burrow in Week 1 — and three tackles for loss in Pittsburgh’s five-period victory. Their prospects of pressuring quarterbacks would take a substantial hit if Watt sustained a full pectoral tear.

In each year of Watt’s career, the Steelers have led the NFL in sacks. That has helped fuel a defensive turnaround, after a more offensively oriented “Killer B’s” period, during that stretch. Since drafting Watt in the 2017 first round, the Steelers have not had to play an extended period without him. Watt, 27, has never missed more than two games in a season.

No matter what the final rounds of testing produce, it appears certain Watt will be out for a while. The league’s highest-paid edge rusher missing half the season and the rest of it are obviously two vastly different realities, however. This season marks the first of Watt’s four-year, $112MM extension. The Steelers No. 2 and No. 3 edge rushers are signed to rookie contracts.

Pittsburgh’s trade for Malik Reed looms large now. The former UDFA will now be in position to play alongside Alex Highsmith. The team sent Denver a 2023 seventh-round pick for the fourth-year veteran last week. Reed has three years’ worth of experience being called into action as a result of a major injury. Bradley Chubb‘s ACL tear made Reed Von Miller‘s top 2019 complementary rusher, and Miller’s season-nullifying ankle injury a year later kept Reed in the lineup. Chubb missed much of last season due to ankle trouble. That and the Miller trade kept Reed (34 career starts) a lineup fixture. Reed played 32 defensive snaps against the Bengals.

Steelers’ T.J. Watt, Najee Harris Ruled Out With Injuries

September 11th, 2022 at 9:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

9:40pm: Mike Giardi of NFL Network reports that a source has informed him that Harris’s foot injury is not considered serious. This is extremely optimistic news for the Steelers considering they were forced to turn to undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren in Harris’s absence.

4:08pm: Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that Watt will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine if his and the team’s fears of a torn pectoral muscle are indeed true.

3:59pm: The Steelers have suffered injuries to arguably their two most irreplaceable players. Edge rusher T.J. Watt and running back Najee Harris have each been ruled out of the remainder of the team’s contest against the Bengals with pectoral and foot injuries, respectively (Twitter link via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor).

Watt appeared to suffer his injury in the fourth quarter. When walking off the field, he seemed to indicate that he had torn his pectoral muscle, Pryor’s colleague Field Yates tweets. Any significant absence for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year could be crippling for the Steelers.

Watt led the league in sacks for the second straight year in 2021, notching 22.5. That provided a fruitful return on investment for Pittsburgh, after they signed him to a four-year, $112MM deal in the lead-up to the campaign. The 27-year-old was only eclipsed by Aaron Donald this summer as the league’s highest-paid defender with annual average of over $28MM per year.

Even with Watt at full health, depth in the edge rush department had been seen as a need for the team this offseason. As a result, it came as little surprise when they traded for Malik Reed from the Broncos. He would be next in line to take on a starting role, and Pittsburgh would need to be active in looking for veteran additions in a similar vein to their Melvin Ingram addition last season.

The fact that Harris’ injury was a foot ailment is also concerning, given that fact that he suffered a Lisfranc sprain in training camp. He had recovered in time to play the Steelers’ season opener, though he only received 10 carries before exiting the game. After his Pro Bowl rookie season last year, Harris is expected to once again be a focal point of the team’s offense and would represent a massive loss in the event of an extended absence.

The Steelers have beaten the Bengals after a wild overtime finish, but the victory may very well have come at an enormous cost.

Contract Details: Watt, Rams, Texans

September 8th, 2022 at 9:49pm CST by Ben Levine

With teams preparing their cap sheets for the start of the NFL season, we’ve seen a number of front offices rework some contracts. We’ve compiled some of the recent contract maneuverings (as well as some details on recent signings and extension) below:

T.J. Watt, LB (Steelers): restructured contract yesterday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The move opened $6.75MM in space for Pittsburgh. Watt inked a four-year deal worth up to $112MM (including $80MM guaranteed) last September.
Rob Havenstein, OT (Rams): three-year extension. The deal is worth $34.5MM, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). The extension includes $24.1MM guaranteed and offers $6MM in incentives.
Tyler Higbee, TE (Rams): restructured contract earlier this week, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The team converted $4.75MM of Higbee’s base salary into a signing bonus, creating $3.8MM in space.
Jalen Thompson, S (Cardinals): three-year extension. The $40MM deal includes $24.5MM in guaranteed money and a $10MM signing bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter).
Lane Johnson, OT and Jake Elliott, K (Eagles): restructured contracts today, according to Yates (on Twitter). The Eagles converted $5.88MM of Johnson’s base salary and $2.715MM of Elliot’s base salary into signing bonuses, creating about $6.9MM in cap space.
O.J. Howard, TE (Texans): one-year deal. The contract is worth $1.035MM, according to Wilson (on Twitter). The tight end will receive $910K in offset from the $1.945MM guaranteed base salary he got from his previous deal with the Bills. When coupled with the $1.25MM signing bonus he got from Buffalo, Howard will earn a total of $3.25MM this year.
Eric Murray, S (Texans): restructured contract yesterday, per Yates (on Twitter). Specifically, the team converted $1.465MM of his contract into a signing bonus, opening $732.5K in cap space.
Ka’imi Fairbairn, K and Cameron Johnston, P (Texans): restructured contracts earlier this week, per Wilson (on Twitter). The two moves saved the Texans $2.1MM in cap savings.

Steelers Eyeing OLB Depth?

July 5th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers did some work to improve their depth at multiple positions this offseason. One area that could still use some work is outside linebacker, and Mark Kaboly of The Athletic believes the Steelers will address the position in late August following final cuts.

The team is obviously set when it comes to their starting lineup. T.J. Watt is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, while former third-round pick Alex Highsmith is coming off a breakout year that saw him compile six sacks. That duo may be one of the best OLB tandems in the NFL,and Highsmith is hoping they can establish themselves as the best OLB grouping by taking his own game to another level.

“I definitely feel I can be more productive sacks-wise. This year hitting double digits is a main goal of mine. At least 10 or 12. Somewhere around there,” Highsmith told Tim Benz of TribLive.com. “Refining a lot of my game. Whether that’s pass-rushing or getting more physical in the run game. No matter how much of a jump I make, I feel like I can always get better.”

However, it’s the depth behind the starting outside linebackers that’s questionable. At the moment, the grouping of Derrek Tuszka, Genard Avery, Tuzar Skipper, Delontae Scott are currently slotted in to compete for backup reps at the position. The Steelers also brought in a pair of undrafted rookies at the position in T.D. Moultry and Tyree Johnson.

As Kaboly writes, the Steelers are looking to avoid the situation that happened against the Vikings last season, when neither of the two outside linebackers could suit up. The two players have been healthy throughout their career, but experienced depth would make an injury a bit more tolerable.

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