Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt close to returning from pec injury

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt wore a headset and sweatpants while watching Friday’s practice, keeping an eye on the team’s defense that lacks menace and production in his absence. During his six weeks of recovery from a torn left pectoral and minor knee surgery, Watt learned to never take his health or career for granted.

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been out since Week 1 of the 2022 season due to a pectoral injury. He also underwent a procedure to fix up his knee. His absence has left the Steelers’ defense struggling at times and unable to consistently pressure the quarterback.

“It sucks not being able to practice and not being able to play, but when you come back, it makes you cherish it that much more and it makes you want it that much more,” Watt said. “I feel encouraged about where I’m at right now.”

During the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watt seemed fine. But as he attempted to sack Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, he felt a sharp pain on the left side of his chest.

“I tore it,” Watt told team physicians after walking off the field clutching himself.

Watt said that it was not the first time, and he has “had muscle pulls before.”

“You feel some sort of pop or snap and you know immediately it’s not good. It was just a matter of how bad it was and it just took us 24-48 hours to figure out the severity of it,” he said.

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Steelers without Watt

In the opener, the Steelers sacked Burrow seven times. In the last six games without Watt, Pittsburgh racked up just five sacks and had just one quarterback hit against Miami Dolphin quarterback Tua Tagoviola last week in a 16-10 loss.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to get pressure and we’ve got to finish,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.

Watt’s familiar No. 90 wreaking his own havoc on the field makes the job much easier. He appeared ready to continue his stellar play in Cincinnati, where he was able to tie an NFL record by collecting 22.5 sacks in 2021. For the first time in his six-year career, he was down for an extended period of time after sustaining an injury to his left arm.

Watt might play in Sunday’s game

Fortunately for Watt, the injury that could have ended his season proved to only be a season-altering one. Pittsburgh may be able to bring back their best player for the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

“Asked if he might play Sunday, T.J. Watt said, ‘I don’t know. Maybe. We’ll have to see’,” TribLIVE reporter Joe Rutter’s tweet reads.

Since entering the NFL in 2017, Watt has emerged as one of the best players in the league. It is apparent that he is the engine that drives the team forward. As a consequence of Watt’s absence, the Steelers have a record of 1-9 in games he has missed, while their defensive performance has noticeably declined. The only win during Watt’s absence came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two weeks ago.

Comparatively, Pittsburgh is 52-24-2, allows seven fewer points per game, and records an additional 1.5 sacks per game when Watt is on the field. With him on the field, the defense looked completely different, and even if he’s limited on Sunday, they still have a chance against the Eagles.