Watt is expected to skip Pittsburgh's mandatory minicamp as he seeks a contract extension, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Watt was not present for voluntary OTAs either, but the latest absence signals he could be willing to incur fines in order to keep some leverage in his contract dispute with the Steelers. He was tied for eighth in the league in sacks (11.5) last season, suggesting he still has gas in the tank despite being set to turn 31 in October. As long as he's not on the field, Alex Highsmith and 2023 fourth-rounder Nick Herbig project for first-team reps at outside linebacker.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Dominant again in 2024
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Watt produced 61 tackles, including 11.5 sacks, along with four defensed passes, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over 17 games during the regular season.
Watt's sack total wasn't quite as impressive as in the year prior, when he logged 19.0 sacks, but he still led the Steelers in that category and tied for eighth in the NFL. In addition, the veteran pass rusher led the league with six forced fumbles, his highest mark since the 2019 season. In 2025, Watt will be in the final year of the four-year contract he inked in 2021, though there will almost certainly be extension discussions between him and the team during the offseason.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: DNP in Tuesday's walkthrough
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Watt (ankle) did not participate in Tuesday's walkthrough session, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said after Tuesday's walkthrough that Watt was "walking around rather comfortably," but noted that the star pass rusher is questionable for Saturday's game against Baltimore. Watt was diagnosed with a left low-ankle sprain following Sunday's loss to the Eagles, though he managed to log 2.0 sacks for the third time this season. His absence in Saturday's AFC North clash would be a major blow for the Steelers' defense, but they do have serviceable backups in Nick Herbig and Preston Smith alongside starter Alex Highsmith.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Hopeful about playing at Baltimore
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that he is "optimistic" about Watt's (ankle) chances of playing Saturday against the Ravens, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
Watt suffered a left low-ankle sprain during Sunday's loss at Philadelphia, but Tomlin's comments suggest the Steelers aren't too concerned about the star linebacker's availability for a Week 16 matchup that could have important implications on playoff seeding in the AFC. His name will be one to keep an eye out for Tuesday, when the Steelers release their first official practice report of the week.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Two sacks in shootout victory
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Watt recorded three solo tackles, including 2.0 sacks, and a forced fumble in Sunday's 44-38 win over the Bengals.
Watt made his biggest splash of the day in the second quarter, chopping the ball out of Joe Burrow's hand for a strip sack and causing a fumble which was ultimately recovered by teammate Payton Wilson. It was the second time this season that Watt was able to reach multiple sacks in the same game, and he's now up 9.5 sacks on the year. The linebacker has compiled 43 total tackles (31 solo), including the sacks, while adding five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three passes defensed over 12 games in 2024.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Logs sack in win
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Watt recorded three tackles (three solo), including 1.0 sacks, during the Steelers' win Sunday over the Ravens.
Watt's dominant season continues, as he was one of just two Pittsburgh defenders, alongside Dean Lowry, to sack Lamar Jackson. Watt has now racked up 36 tackles (27 solo), including 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries throughout his first 10 appearances of the season.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Logs eight tackles vs. Dallas
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Watt finished Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Cowboys with eight tackles (seven solo), including 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.
With the Cowboys in the red zone, Watt and Nick Herbig combined to sack Dak Prescott on the last play of the first quarter, with Watt forcing the ball out of Prescott's hands, which was jumped on by Herbig. Watt got to Prescott for a second time early in the third quarter, resulting in a seven-yard loss. Watt is now up to 4.5 sacks through the first five games of the regular season, which is ninth-most in the NFL.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Logs another sack
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Watt recorded three tackles (three solo), including 1.0 sack, during the Steelers' 20-10 win Sunday versus the Chargers.
Watt brought down Justin Herbert for one of the team's five sacks and now has three total on the season. The one-time Defensive Player of the Year will look to build off this strong performance and increase his sack streak next week against the Colts.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Plays well Week 1
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Watt recorded four total tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks and an additional tackle for loss, while also recovering a fumble during Sunday's 18-10 win over the Falcons.
Watt was a handful for the Falcons' offensive line, as he logged three quarterback pressures despite recording only 1.0 sack. The 2017 first-round pick out of Wisconsin is looking to build on a dominant 2023 campaign in which he recorded 68 total tackles, including 19.0 sacks, and eight passes defended in 17 regular-season games. Expect Watt to continue wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks as the Steelers travel to Denver in Week 2.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Dealing with MCL sprain
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Watt is believed to have suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain after exiting Saturday's 17-10 win in Baltimore with a left knee injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Watt departed in the third quarter after banging knees with Steelers defensive lineman Montravius Adams. He was able to make his way to the locker room slowly under his own power, but the team still ruled out Watt not long after that point. After notching two sacks Saturday, Watt will finish with 19 on the season to go along with 68 tackles, eight pass breakups, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception over 17 games. Watt is scheduled to undergo further testing to confirm the Grade 3 sprain, but injuries of this sort often entail multi-week recoveries, making it unlikely that he'll be available for the wild-card round of the playoffs if Pittsburgh is able to secure a playoff berth based on how other Week 18 results shake out.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Exits with knee injury Saturday
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Watt won't return to Saturday's game at Baltimore due to a left knee injury, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Watt was on the receiving end of friendly fire in the third quarter as Steelers defensive lineman Montravius Adams collided with the former's knee. After remaining on the turf for multiple minutes and also spending time in the sideline tent, Watt slowly made his way to the locker room with Pittsburgh trainers before the team ruled him out. Prior to his exit, he racked up two sacks to push him to 19 on the campaign, marking the second time he's reached that threshold in his career.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Gets two sacks at Indianapolis
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Watt recorded three tackles (two solo), including two sacks, in Saturday's 30-13 loss at Indianapolis.
Watt posted his fifth multi-sack game of the season in Week 15, bringing his season total up to 15.0. He should get plenty more opportunities to rush the passer in Week 16 versus the Bengals.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Takes another step in recovery
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Watt (concussion) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
Watt is making progress in his potential return from a concussion suffered last Thursday in the Steelers' 21-18 loss to the Patriots. With his return to full practice Wednesday, Watt appears to be on the cusp of clearing the five-step concussion protocol, though he'll still need to attain clearance from an independent neurologist before suiting up Saturday against the Colts. The star edge rusher has recorded 52 tackles, 14 sacks, seven pass breakups, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception through 13 appearances this season.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Up to 9.5 sacks
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Watt recorded four tackles and a sack in Thursday's 20-16 win over the Titans.
Watt single-handedly ended the Titans' first offensive possession, knocking down a Will Levis pass before sacking him for an eight-yard loss on back-to-back plays. He now has 9.5 sacks across eight games and is on pace to top 20 sacks for the second time in his last three campaigns.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Dislocates finger, tears ligaments
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Watt suffered a dislocated finger and multiple torn ligaments in a Week 5 win over the Ravens, but the injury isn't expected to cost him any games, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Watt reportedly popped the finger back into place and kept playing against Baltimore, and the Steelers' Week 6 bye comes at the right time for the star pass rusher. Through five games, Watt leads the league with eight sacks and two forced fumbles, in addition to three fumble recoveries, four pass breakups, seven TFLs and one defensive touchdown.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Racks up three sacks in Week 1
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Watt tallied five solo tackles, including three sacks and a tackle for a loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass defense during the Steelers' 30-7 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.
The Steelers struggled in many areas during Sunday's regular-season opener, but Watt was a major bright spot for the team. He racked up all three of the team's sacks and forced multiple fumbles for the first time since 2019. Watt's health has been one of his biggest concerns in recent seasons, but if he can remain on the field in 2023, he showed Sunday that he should continue to be one of the league's top defensive contributors.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Another disruptive outing
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Watt totaled four tackles (three solo) and one sack during Sunday's 16-13 win over the Ravens.
Two of Watt's four tackles went for a loss, including a 10-yard sack of Tyler Huntley in the third quarter, and the superstar pass rusher also tallied three QB hits. Watt's overall numbers aren't as prolific as previous years due to a seven-game absence earlier in the season due to a pectoral injury, but the 2017 first-round pick is still a premier defender and will look to keep the Steelers' playoff hopes alive with a strong performance against the Browns in Week 18.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Ready to roll Sunday
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Watt (ribs) is active for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
After stringing together three consecutive limited sessions ahead of the Week 13 matchup in Atlanta due to a ribs issue, Watt has since been cleared for action and should return to his usual starting pass-rushing role Sunday. When the 28-year-old is healthy and on the field, he's one of the league's elites considering he's collected 19 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four passes defensed, two interceptions and one forced fumble across just four contests played this season.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Optimism about status
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Head coach Mike Tomlin is optimistic about Watt (knee) being able to play Sunday against the Saints, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Watt was designated to return from IR on Oct. 26, but he was held out of Week 8's loss to the Eagles. However, after a Week 9 bye, it appears Watt is still trending in the right direction and has a chance to play Sunday against the Saints. The potential return of the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will certainly be a boon to the Steelers' defense if he can play.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Won't be activated ahead of Week 8
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Watt (knee) won't be activated off injured reserve ahead of Week 8, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Watt was designated to return from IR and returned to practice Wednesday, but he'll remain sidelined for a seventh straight contest while rehabbing from a torn pectoral and arthroscopic knee surgery. The decision not to rush Watt back for Sunday's matchup against the undefeated Eagles makes sense given the Steelers' Week 9 bye. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year's next chance to suit up will come Nov. 13 against the Saints.
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