Eric Espada/Getty Images T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms-up prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins on October 23, 2022.
On Friday afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers issued their third and final injury report ahead of this Sunday’s game against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. But one bit of news overshadowed almost everything else on the report, that being the potential return of reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt, who has not played since suffering a pectoral injury in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
During his media availability on Friday, Watt described himself as a “participant” in Friday’s practice.
“It feels good to get back out there and start playing football again,” he added, before indicating that he wants to see how his body responds to the activity.
Asked on Friday if his pectoral is 100% he said, “It’s definitely trending that way.”
He was also asked about his knee, a subject he seemed to want to avoid.
“In totality it’s just about getting my body back to playing. There’s a lot of aspects that go into playing in an NFL football game and I feel like I’m going in the right direction,” he said.
“I’m just excited to get back.”
Keep in mind that Watt underwent arthroscopic knee surgery sometime prior to Oct. 8 “to clean up a preseason injury that lingered into the regular season,” this according to Brooke Pryor and Adam Schefter of ESPN. At this point, it’s likely that the knee is the greater issue, as Watt was initially expected to miss six weeks because of his pectoral injury, setting up a possible return against the Eagles.
Asked directly if he believes he’ll play on Sunday, Watt said: “I don’t know, we’ll have to see.”
But even if he can’t go against Philadelphia, he seems optimistic about returning to action in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints.
“I feel good. Like I said, today was a good day and this week was a good week for me. I just want to continue going in the right direction.”
2 Steelers Starters Ruled Out
Meanwhile, two other defensive starters have been ruled out for the Eagles game, namely defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and cornerback Levi Wallace.
Ogunjobi missed all three days of practice this week after suffering a knee injury last Sunday night against the Dolphins. He has recorded 19 tackles thus far in 2022, including two tackles for loss and half a sack.
As for Levi Wallace, he is attempting to recover from a shoulder injury suffered against the Dolphins, and before that he was sidelined by a concussion. Thus far Wallace has appeared in six games (with three starts). He has been credited with 16 tackles (10 solo), plus one interception and four passes defensed.
Kicker Chris Boswell Listed as ‘Questionable’
Equally notable is that Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was added to the injury report on Friday with a groin injury. He is “questionable” for Sunday’s game, as is cornerback Josh Jackson, who also has a groin injury.
But kick returner/wide receiver Steven Sims looks poised to return to the lineup after missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury. Also, the outlook is positive for starting tight end Pat Freiermuth and starting nose tackle Montravius Adams. Both players were full participants in practice for the second straight day on Friday, with Freiermuth coming back from an ankle injury and Adams nursing a hamstring.
For his part, T.J. Watt is not listed on Pittsburgh’s practice report, as he remains on the injured reserve list.