First Call: Concussion response for T.J. Watt under review; Antonio Brown makes pitch to retire as a Steeler; Jonathan Taylor's status

The NFL and its Players Association want more answers about how the Steelers handled T.J. Watt’s concussion. We investigate the prospect of Jonathan Taylor of the Colts returning to play against the Steelers on Saturday.

Antonio Brown wants to retire as a Steeler. A former Steelers backup quarterback is heading back to the bench with his newest team. And we look at the Penguins’ next opponent north of the border.

All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.”

Checking on T.J.

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the NFL and the NFL Players Association have been jointly reviewing how (and when) Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt entered the NFL’s concussion protocol.

The NFL and NFLPA have been jointly reviewing the situation surrounding #Steelers star TJ Watt and how and when he entered the NFL's concussion protocol. Watt reported symptoms Friday morning and now is in the protocol. This is standard any time a player goes into the protocol. pic.twitter.com/pYyOKpfzRz

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2023

Rapoport said this is standard any time a player goes into the protocol. But attention on Watt’s situation is heightened because he suffered an injury on the first snap from scrimmage Thursday night against the New England Patriots yet played 51 snaps (91%) the rest of the game.

On Monday, when asked if Watt was checked for a concussion, head coach Mike Tomlin said, “I assume that he was. But I’m managing the game. I leave that to the medical experts. They essentially tell me whether someone is out, whether they’re subject to return or whether they’re back. I got a report that (Watt) was subject to return. Then I got a report that he was back. That was just my knowledge of the details of what transpired with him.”

Watt also returned to action with a tinted visor, which led many to wonder if he was concerned about light sensitivity. Tomlin said he was “unaware” of that.

Watt reported symptoms Friday morning and entered the protocol. Fellow outside linebacker Alex Highsmith had also been in the protocol as a result of an injury Thursday. Both were back practicing on Wednesday on a limited basis.

Taylor time?

It’s still unclear if the Steelers will have to face Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor on Saturday. The former All-Pro is still recovering from thumb surgery. Taylor last played on Nov. 26 when he posted 91 yards on the ground against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 2021 rushing champion has been limited to just seven games this season due to injury and an early season contract dispute. Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen said the plan remains for Taylor to return at some point this season, and there is a “chance” he and tackle Braden Smith will play this weekend, even though neither participated in Tuesday’s walkthrough. That goes for cornerback JuJu Brents as well, who did participate despite a quad issue.

Backup Zack Moss will carry the load if Taylor can’t go. Moss has played almost every snap over the past two games — 94% against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 3 and 84% against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. However, he has totaled just 79 yards on 32 carries and 34 receiving yards on 11 targets.

Moss did have 122 yards against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 and 165 yards against the Titans in Week 5.

Related:

• A trade for Mike Tomlin? Fox's Jay Glazer tells one team to 'swing away'
• CBS NFL rules analyst discusses T.J. Watt's holding complaints; Kansas City-Buffalo controversial call
• Tim Benz: If Steelers 'ills' are fixable, prove it this week — or start planning for 2024

Making a pitch

Troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown wants to retire as a Steeler. He made that pitch on social media Tuesday.

“I really couldn’t explain what it really would mean for me to retire as a Steeler. You know, it has always been my dream, my goal to see me play as a Steeler, and vision and being an NFL player. To bring things complete is what life’s all about,” Brown said.

“It would mean everything for me, for my family, for every Steeler fan in Steeler Nation.”

Antonio Brown talks about what it mean to retire as a Pittsburgh Steelers #steelers@AB84 pic.twitter.com/AIqCYKfOp0

— Matthew Luciow (@matthewluciow92) December 12, 2023

At this point, A.B., eh, I’m not so sure about that. I really don’t think it would mean all that much to most Steelers fans to see you retire as a Steeler.

At one point, yes. Indeed, “everyone in Steeler Nation” would have wanted that. But after the way you stormed out of Pittsburgh and the way you have acted in the years since I’m pretty sure everyone around here is just fine without a cozy reunion between you and the team.

And, by the way, haven’t you essentially been retired for quite a while now, anyway? Isn’t there another Arena League franchise you should be ruining right now?

Dobbs down the depth chart

Former Steelers quarterback Joshua Dobbs is getting benched in Minnesota. The Vikings have decided to start Nick Mullens this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Mullens is fully healthy now after being designated to return to practice on Nov. 15. He had been dealing with a lower back injury.

Mullens has 17 NFL starts and has appeared in 25 NFL games since entering the league in 2018 with the San Francisco 49ers. His last start was in 2021 with the Cleveland Browns.

Dobbs took Minnesota by storm in early November after being traded from Arizona. He helped them win two games, going 43 of 64 with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also accounted for 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.

But things have turned south of late for Dobbs. He threw four interceptions during a loss to Chicago on Nov. 27. Then he was benched for Mullens during a 3-0 win against the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Dobbs was 10 of 23 at the time and had been sacked five times.

Hello Habs

It’s a quick turnaround for the Penguins (12-12-3) after their 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Sidney Crosby and company are making a trip across the border to play the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. It’s the first meeting of the year between the teams.

While the Pens are playing on back-to-back nights after traveling, the Canadiens will be well-rested. They haven’t played since a 2-1 home loss against Nashville on Sunday.

The Canadiens (12-13-3) have 27 points, the same as the Penguins. Nick Suzuki has 22 points to lead the club. He and Sean Monahan have eight goals to lead the team. Former Penguin Mike Matheson is tops among defensemen with five goals and 19 points.

After finally getting a power play goal last night against the Coyotes, ending a drought of 37 attempts, maybe the Penguins can get a two-game streak going with power-play success. The Canadiens penalty kill is 29th in hockey at 73.5%.

By the way, West Mifflin’s Logan Cooley said he had about 100 people in the stands last night. The Coyotes rookie was playing his first game in Pittsburgh after being drafted No. 3 overall in 2022.

“I have a lot of support here. Whether that be family, friends, or just fans in general around this Pittsburgh area, it’s a passionate fan base. I felt a lot of support. You know, everyone’s helped me a lot, especially around this area,” Cooley said.

The Penguins made it hard on Cooley for his homecoming. He was held without a point, didn’t get a shot on goal, was 0 for 6 in the faceoff circle, and was a minus-1.