Steelers' T.J. Watt 'at home, resting comfortably' after having surgery for collapsed lung

Pittsburgh Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt was released from the hospital and is “at home, resting comfortably,” coach Mike Tomlin said Friday inside UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Tomlin described Watt as out for the “Monday Night Football” game against the Miami Dolphins at Acrisure Stadium but said he doesn’t know how long Watt could be sidelined while recovering.

“I do not. I had not looked beyond Monday night,” Tomlin said. “I’m kind of one week at a time. I know he’s not participating this week.”

Watt’s oldest brother, J.J. Watt, said on a post to his verified X account that T.J. Watt had “successful surgery” Thursday to “stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung.”

T.J. Watt suffered the collapsed lung after he received “dry needling” treatment Wednesday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, wrote J.J. Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and currently a CBS game analyst.

“Recovery time is still TBD, but all went well and he is being released today,” J.J. Watt wrote. “He and his family are very appreciative of everyone’s kind words and well wishes.”

Tomlin said he was receiving information secondhand, so he declined to comment on the social media post by J.J. Watt.

“Again, I don’t have a lot of information,” Tomlin said. “I’m certainly not going to dispute something that was said by somebody close to him.”

Tomlin was dismissive when asked how concerning Watt’s lung injury is for the Steelers.

“It’s day-to-day life in this business, at this level,” Tomlin said.

According to the Cleveland Clinic website, dry needling is a form of treatment used by medical providers such as acupuncturists and physical therapists to treat “pain and movement issues associated with myofascial trigger points.” Needles are used to stimulate muscles, which causes them to “contract or twitch.” It is performed to “relieve pain and improve your range of motion,” according to the clinic.

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Linebacker Patrick Queen prefers acupuncture as a form of treatment over the care Watt apparently received.

“I’m actually scared of dry needling,” he said. “I stay away from that stuff. It’s unfortunate. You can probably get dry needled a thousand times and not have anything happen. Half-inch in the wrong direction, you never know. It’s definitely unfortunate.”

Queen is leery of dry needle treatment because, he said, the training isn’t as extensive as the work done by an acupuncturist.

“You need to learn the right spots, and they can go in the wrong spot at any time,” he said. “I just feel, me personally, more comfortable with someone who has a little more experience, not saying anything wrong about anybody that did that.”

Watt was hospitalized Wednesday and Thursday nights after experiencing “discomfort” in his lung, the Steelers said in a statement.

Cameron Heyward, a long-time defensive captain like Watt, spoke with his teammate Friday morning.

“T.J. is a really good friend of mine,” Heyward said. “One thing we always care about is how the man is doing. You never want to hear anything like that ever happen, but I’m more concerned with how he’s doing on a friend level and as a brother.”

Watt had started the past 56 regular-season games for the Steelers, although a knee injury sidelined him for the Steelers’ playoff game against Buffalo in January 2024. The last time he missed a regular-season game was Week 9 of the 2022 season. He missed seven games that season with pectoral and knee injuries.

“Knowing T.J., he probably wasn’t scared at all,” Queen said, referring to the lung procedure. “He was probably like, ‘Look what I’m going through, I’m going to beat it and try to get back and play.’ But having a teammate in that position, it definitely (stinks) and is crazy.

“You just wake up and be grateful for the small things in life.”

Staff writer Kevin Gorman contributed.