T.J. Watt sits out Steelers practice with knee injury
T.J. Watt, an early contender for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, did not practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday because of a knee injury.
It is the first time this season that Watt has landed on the team’s injury report.
Watt leads the Steelers with 3.5 sacks — he is tied for second in the NFL in that category — and 10 quarterback hits. He is second on the team with five tackles for loss.
Watt hasn’t missed a game since Week 3 of his rookie season when he sat out a game at Chicago with a groin injury. He has started the past 48 games, and he has played 84% of all defensive snaps this season.
The Steelers have one more day of practice prior to their 1 p.m. game Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field.
Watt joined his brother, Derek, on the sidelines for practice. Derek Watt also did not participate because of a hamstring injury that he sustained in the first half of the Steelers’ game in Week 3 against the Houston Texans. Also sitting out practice was safety Marcus Allen with a foot injury.
Three players who missed practice Wednesday because of minor injuries or ailments were back on the field as full participants: cornerback Joe Haden (illness) and wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Diontae Johnson (toe).
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, center Maurkice Pouncey and defensive end Stephon Tuitt each returned to practice after receiving a veteran’s day off Wednesday.
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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.
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