He's almost back. The Pittsburgh Steelers have missed the NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year quite a bit over the last month and a half. TJ Watt seems to be nearing a return, as he was seen at practice on Wednesday. Watt injured his pectoral muscle in the team's Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. In his absence, they have gone just 1-5.
Steelers.com
Josh Rowntree of 93.7 The Fan was able to provide a video of Watt doing some drills at practice on Wednesday. He looks quite good for a guy that dealt with a significant pectoral injury followed by knee surgery just a few weeks ago.
Here’s a video you might like. TJ Watt working at #Steelers practice this afternoon. @937theFan pic.twitter.com/ZDgFJrZCHt
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) October 26, 2022
The defense as a whole has really missed Watt's presence in the lineup. Without an effective pass rush, it's put a ton of pressure on the guys on the back end. While they've held their own at times, the nonexistent pass rush has also come back to bite them at times. The 35-point loss to the Buffalo Bills stands out the most, as they were unable to generate any pressure on superstar quarterback Josh Allen.
It also holds especially true for the team's meltdowns late in games. The New York Jets were able to rally back in the fourth quarter in Week 4, upsetting the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. With Watt in the lineup in Week 1 against the Bengals, the defense had seven sacks. They've had less than that, five to be exact, in the six games without Watt. Their 12 total sacks sits them tied-for-22nd in the NFL, quite unusual for a Pittsburgh defense.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Alex Highsmith leads the team with 6.5 sacks, but beyond him, nobody has more than two sacks. Cam Heyward has two sacks and then there are a few guys with just one. Even Highsmith's stats seem to be a bit deceiving, as he's been nonexistent for large portions of games lately. Malik Reed has failed to register a sack, as he hasn't lived up to expectations since being acquired from the Denver Broncos.
TJ Watt spotted in a practice jersey and wearing gloves, cleats and a helmet in the Steelers locker room today
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 26, 2022
Watt's return to practice means his 21-day window to be activated off the IR officially begins. Now setbacks can happen and affect that window of being activated, as we've seen with rookie wideout Calvin Austin III. Still, this is awesome news in the possible return of Watt. While he did look good at practice, the team will likely wait until after the Week 9 bye to activate him. That's been the plan all along, and it seems like there hasn't been any setbacks yet.
How big will Watt's return to the lineup be? Should they keep him out until after the bye week? What are your expectations for the defense once Watt returns? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites!
#SteelerNation
