Steelers’ T.J. Watt To Play In Club’s Next Meaningful Game
DECEMBER 28: There is good news on the Watt front. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link), Watt is in a “very good place” in terms of his health and is expected to play in the Steelers’ next meaningful game. If they defeat the Browns in Week 17 and clinch the AFC North as a result, Watt will sit out the regular season finale against Baltimore. If Pittsburgh loses to Cleveland, thus setting up a Week 18 bout with the Ravens for the division title and a playoff berth, Watt will suit up.
DECEMBER 27: The Steelers have ruled out Watt for Week 17. While Mike Tomlin said the Ravens’ result Saturday would affect his approach for Sunday’s Browns matchup, as the Steelers would be guaranteed the AFC North title with a Baltimore loss in Green Bay, Watt will not play regardless of outcome.
DECEMBER 24: Watt returned to practice on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. His participation alone is a good sign for his health and indicates that he could play again this season, though the Steelers will understandably be cautious before exposing Watt to full-contact action. Also back at practice was third-year edge rusher Nick Herbig, per Pryor, who missed Sunday’s win over the Lions with a hamstring injury,
DECEMBER 22: Steelers star T.J. Watt has missed the past two games while recovering from surgery on a partially collapsed lung. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like he’s any closer to a return.
[RELATED: Steelers’ T.J. Watt Undergoes Surgery On Partially Collapsed Lung]
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the pass rusher’s return to play “remains murky and uncertain.” At the moment, Watt’s focus is solely on his recovery, with his potential return to field being considered “secondary.”
Of course, as the Steelers push for a playoff spot, Watt’s potential return will still command attention. Per Schefter, doctors will continue to monitor how Watt feels this week to determine if it’s even possible for him to suit up for Sunday’s matchup against the Browns. However, the ideal path would see Watt garner “more time to recover.” The former Defensive Player of the Year is expected to make a full recovery.
Watt was admitted to the hospital earlier this month with a lung injury. It was later determined that the collapsed lung was a result of a common dry needling procedure that he underwent at the team facility. He was quickly released from the hospital, but he’s yet to take the field since his injury.
The NFLPA was subsequently in contact with the player’s camp, although it’s uncertain if they’ll take any action against the Steelers franchise. Tyrod Taylor famously suffered a punctured lung while receiving a pain-killing injection in 2020; he later sued the Chargers for medical malpractice. After Watt inked a three-year extension this past offseason that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, it’s uncertain if he would look to take such a drastic stance against the franchise.
While the off-the-field narrative is worth watching, the Steelers are currently focused on their on-the-field product. Despite Watt being out of the lineup, the Steelers have won each of their past two games to take a two-game lead in the AFC North. A Watt-less defense would surely impact the team’s ability to make noise in the playoffs, but the Steelers can rest easy about their postseason chances regardless of the pass rusher’s status.
Steelers OLB T.J. Watt Hospitalized With Lung Injury
DECEMBER 12: Testing at the Steelers’ facility revealed a “tiny hole” in one of Watt’s lungs, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports (video link). That led to his hospitalization, and the issue has been addressed. A final determination for Week 15 has not yet been made, but Pelissero deems it unlikely that Watt – who merely needs time to recover at this point – will be available for Monday.
DECEMBER 11: Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt has been hospitalized due to a lung injury, per a team announcement.
The injury happened while Watt was receiving medical treatment at the Steelers’ facility on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Thursday (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) that Watt is still in the hospital undergoing additional testing which will determine his status for their Week 15 matchup against the Dolphins.
Watt, 31, has started all 13 of the Steelers’ games this season with an 82% snap share. He is having another excellent season with seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss, which rank first and second on the team. He has also been credited with 43 pressures, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) which lead the Steelers and rank 19th in the NFL.
In other words, an absence from Watt would be a major blow to Pittsburgh’s defense, though they are positioned to withstand it in the short-term. The four-time All-Pro almost exclusively lines up on the left side of the defense with Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig splitting snaps on the right side. One of the two – likely Herbig – can fill some of Watt’s snaps off the left edge
Rookie Jack Sawyer will also be in line for some more opportunities. The second-round pick has appeared in every game this year but played just 182 snaps (19.4% snap share) without much production. Sawyer has primarily rotated in for Watt on the left side and should see an uptick if he cannot play. That could also result in a practice squad elevation for fourth-year defensive end DeMarvin Leal.
The Steelers will be monitoring Watt’s condition carefully over the next few days to evaluate his availability for Monday night’s game.
Latest On Steelers’ Depth At OLB
Outside linebacker is not a position of need for the Steelers. Star pass rusher T.J. Watt led the NFL last year with 19.0 sacks, and though the team’s other starter Alex Highsmith only notched seven last year, he showed what he’s capable of with a 14.5-sack campaign in 2022. Those two are going to be on the field a majority of the time, but after watching Watt miss the playoffs last year and seeing an aged Markus Golden depart in free agency, Pittsburgh has made a number of offseason moves to solidify their depth at the position. 
Last year’s rookie fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, Nick Herbig, is the only other edge rusher returning from last year’s roster. According to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, Herbig is getting first dibs at the OLB3-role in 2024. In his first season of NFL play, Herbig saw less than a quarter of the snaps that Watt and Highsmith did but was up there in playing time with Golden. Despite the limited snaps, Herbig made the most of his time on the field, logging 27 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, three quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
That means this year’s rookie third-round pick, NC State’s Payton Wilson, will not be the first outside linebacker off the bench in his first season. Wilson also wasn’t necessarily known as a pass rusher in Raleigh, so it might just mean that Herbig and Wilson will sport different roles in 2024. Herbig may be the first player off the bench in pass rushing situations, and Wilson may be the first guy in during rushing or drop back scenarios. Wilson is on the roster as an outside linebacker for the Steelers as Patrick Queen, Cole Holcomb, and Elandon Roberts patrol the middle. Wilson was disruptive in college, sporting 48.0 tackles for loss to his name, but only logged 15.0 sacks in that time. His versatility as a linebacker with seven career interceptions and 20 passes defensed in college mean that Wilson and Herbig could both be utilized off the bench equally but in very different situations.
Another offseason addition the team made was the claiming of former division-rival Jeremiah Moon off of waivers. A former undrafted player from Florida, Moon spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad for the Ravens but made one start in eight game appearances in 2023. Like Wilson, Moon has never been much of a pass rusher but was an effective tackler during his time in Gainesville.
Joining the position room as rookies alongside Wilson are undrafted signees Julius Welschof and Jacoby Windmon. Windmon, who saw time in college at UNLV and Michigan State, is more in the mold of Wilson and Moon. Welschof, who attended school at Michigan and Charlotte, is a former defensive lineman, though he wasn’t much of an established pass rusher in college.
While Golden only played 70 more snaps in the regular season than Herbig in 2023, when Watt was injured in the playoffs, that OLB3 role became huge. With Watt being no stranger to injury over the past two seasons, who will man that role going forward is an important distinction. As of right now, Herbig is getting the first opportunity to earn that role. He’ll likely hold onto that responsibility as the top pass rusher off the bench while Moon and the rookies fill more versatile roles on the defense in 2024.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/23
Rookie minicamps started today and more rookies put the names on the dotted line of their four-year contracts. Here are the mid- to late-round picks who signed today:
Arizona Cardinals
- DT Dante Stills (sixth round, West Virginia)
Atlanta Falcons
- CB Clark Phillips III (fourth round, Utah)
- G Jovaughn Gwyn (seventh round, South Carolina)
Cleveland Browns
- DE Isaiah McGuire (fourth round, Missouri)
- QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (fifth round, UCLA)
- CB Cameron Mitchell (fifth round, Northwestern)
- C Luke Wypler (sixth round, Ohio State)
Denver Broncos
- CB Riley Moss (third round, Iowa)
- S JL Skinner (sixth round, Boise State)
Houston Texans
- LB Henry To’oTo’o (fifth round, Alabama)
- S Brandon Hill (seventh round, Pittsburgh)
Kansas City Chiefs
- S Chamarri Conner (fourth round, Virginia Tech)
Los Angeles Chargers
- LB Daiyan Henley (third round, Washington State)
- WR Derius Davis (fourth round, TCU)
- T Jordan McFadden (fifth round, Clemson)
- DT Scott Matlock (sixth round, Boise State)
- QB Max Duggan (seventh round, TCU)
Minnesota Vikings
- CB Mekhi Blackmon (third round, USC)
- QB Jaren Hall (fifth round, BYU)
New England Patriots
- G Sidy Sow (fourth round, Eastern Michigan)
- CB Ameer Speed (sixth round, Michigan State)
- CB Isaiah Bolden (seventh round, Jackson State)
New Orleans Saints
- RB Kendre Miller (third round, TCU)
- T Nick Saldiveri (fourth round, Old Dominion)
- S Jordan Howden (fifth round, Minnesota)
- WR A.T. Perry (sixth round, Wake Forest)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- TE Darnell Washington (third round, Georgia)
- LB Nick Herbig (fourth round, Wisconsin)
- G Spencer Anderson (seventh round, Maryland)
Washington Commanders
- DE K.J. Henry (fifth round, Clemson)
- RB Christopher Rodriguez (sixth round, Kentucky)