Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt celebrates a sack against the Chicago Bears on November 8, 2021.
On Saturday afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers made three roster moves in anticipation of Sunday’s AFC North tilt against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field.
T.J. Watt Activated
First and foremost, the Steelers activated Pro Bowl outside linebacker T.J. Watt from the COVID-19 Reserve list after just five days, setting the stage for him to play against the Ravens.
We have activated LB T.J. Watt from the Reserve/COVID-19 List.
Watt has appeared in just nine games thus far this year, with the most recent miss coming against the Los Angeles Chargers on November 21. Nevertheless, Watt has 41 total tackles this season, including 12.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 20 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries, keeping him among the leaders in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year race.
Carlos Davis Returns
In addition, the Steelers activated second-year defensive lineman Carlos Davis off the Reserve/Injured list. Davis played 17 snaps in the season-opener against the Buffalo Bills before leaving that contest with a knee injury. He hasn’t appeared in a game since. Davis was placed on injured reserve on October 27, 2021 and returned to practice in November.
The former seventh-round pick was selected by the Steelers No. 232 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. He made his NFL debut against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9 of last season and finished his rookie campaign with six tackles in seven games.
In early November the Steelers signed his twin brother, Khalil, to the practice squad. Khalil Davis came into the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft (No. 194 overall).
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Chaz Green Elevated
On Saturday afternoon the Steelers also activated offensive tackle Chaz Green to the active/inactive roster as a COVID-19 replacement. The Steelers originally signed Green in mid-July but he was released as part of the final round of roster cuts, only to sign to the practice squad a day later.
Green has spent almost the entire 2021 season on the practice squad but he was elevated for Pittsburgh’s Week 4 game at Green Bay, during which he played one snap on special teams. The 29-year-old is a former third-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys (2015) and has 38 games of NFL experience, including eight starts.
In effect, Green takes the place of sixth-year lineman Joe Haeg, who was added to the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday December 1.
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2 Steelers Fined For Penalties Committed Against Bengals
In one other bit of news from Saturday, Bengals beat writer Jay Morrison (The Athletic) notes that Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool and cornerback James Pierre were both fined by the league for fouls committed during last Sunday’s 41-10 blowout loss to Cincinnati. Pierre was docked $4,350 for an unnecessary roughness penalty and Claypool was fined $8,354 for a facemask penalty against Bengals defender Darius Phillips.
Steelers CB James Pierre was fined $4,350 for his unnecessary roughness penalty last week vs the #Bengals, and WR Chase Claypool was fined $8,354 for his facemask penalty against Darius Phillips.
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