Steelers coach Mike Tomlin optimistic T.J. Watt's injury isn't season-ending
When T.J. Watt walked off the field with 16 seconds to play in the fourth quarter Sunday and pointed to his left pectoral muscle, the Pittsburgh Steelers suspected they might be without the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year for a significant amount of time.
That might still be the case, but coach Mike Tomlin no longer fears Watt’s injury suffered in the season-opening victory over the Cincinnati Bengals will end his season.
“We’re probably in a lot better place than we were after the game,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.
Watt underwent an MRI on Monday, and the Steelers are seeking second and third medical opinions before determining how much time he might miss. ESPN and NFL Network have reported Watt will be out about six weeks, making a mid-October return possible.
Watt expressed encouragement about his return on his verified Twitter account when he posted a GIF from the movie “The Terminator” in which Arnold Schwarzenegger says the iconic line, “I’ll be back.”
— TJ Watt (@_TJWatt) September 13, 2022
For the immediate future, Watt won’t play Sunday against the New England Patriots in the Steelers’ home opener.
“I won’t make any commitments beyond that,” Tomlin said. “We’re encouraged, and we’ll continue to look at the situation and gain opinions and do what is appropriate.”
The Steelers have until the end of the week to place Watt on injured reserve and add a player to the active roster.
For the short term, the Steelers will turn to a pair of outside linebackers added to the 53-man roster in the past two weeks: Malik Reed, a fourth-year veteran acquired from Denver, and Jamir Jones, who was claimed off waivers from Jacksonville.
The Steelers also signed former Washington Commanders outside linebacker Ryan Anderson to the practice squad. They also have outside linebacker Delonte Scott on the practice squad.
Watt had six tackles, including three for a loss, one sack and an interception before his injury. He is coming off a season in which he tied the NFL single-season sacks record.
“When you lose a guy like that, it’s not about the guys who occupy his position of left outside linebacker,” Tomlin said. “It’s about how we redistribute his responsibilities collectively to produce the collective outcome we desire.
“Those guys aren’t going to be T.J. It’s not realistic to think that they are going to be T.J. We expect them to be varsity, and we’re going to formulate a plan to redistribute the responsibilities to lean on our strengths and minimize our weaknesses.”
Anderson, 28, spent four seasons (2017-20) with Washington but did not play last season. He made four starts in 52 games and totaled six sacks. Anderson signed with the New York Giants as a free agent in 2021, but he was suspended in August for six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He was released two days later.
Perhaps Tomlin’s biggest challenge will be keeping Watt from returning too soon.
“That’s an honor to do it,” Tomlin said. “I’d rather say ‘Whoa’ than ‘Sic ’em.’ We’re talking about protecting a highly competitive, talented guy. That is the job. I’m not going to act like that’s a problem.”
More Steelers news:
• Steelers brace to play on without injured star T.J. Watt
• Steelers Jaylen Warren satisfied with work as backup in NFL debut, preps for possible starting role
• Steelers’ Diontae Johnson unmoved by his spectacular leaping, 1-handed, toe-tap catch
• Minkah Fitzpatrick fills up the stat sheet over 104 snaps played in Steelers opening win
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.