Steelers Encouraged T.J. Watt Will Return This Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers feel much better about T.J. Watt's situation than they did at first.
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without outside linebacker T.J. Watt for Week 2 against the New England Patriots, but they feel optimistic about his return during the regular season. 

Head coach Mike Tomlin took the podium during his weekly press conference and said the team is "a lot better place than we were after the game."

Watt left in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals with a pectoral injury. Tomlin said the team is still undergoing multiple opinions on whether to proceed with surgery or opt for rehab, but they appear hopeful he'll test rehab and hope for a return to the field in 2022. 

"I can definitively say T.J. won't play this week, but I won't make any commitments beyond that," Tomlin said. "We're encouraged."

Reports say Watt could miss six weeks or so during his recovery. 

In the meantime, the Steelers will operate with Malik Reed and Jamir Jones opposite of Alex Highsmith. They reportedly brought in former Washington Commanders linebacker Ryan Anderson for a workout to add depth to the position. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.