T.J. Watt injury update: Steelers star out vs. Dolphins after surgery on collapsed lung

Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt is recovering from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung he suffered while getting treatment at the team facility, his brother J.J. Watt announced Friday. Watt has been ruled out for Monday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins and is home resting comfortably, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters.

Watt was taken to Pittsburgh area hospital on Wednesday after experiencing discomfort in his chest after a dry needling treatment session. J.J. Watt said the timeline for T.J.’s recovery is still to be determined after having surgery Thursday. He is expected to return to the field at some point this season, per NFL Network

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Thursday that Watt stayed in the hospital overnight Wednesday after reporting “discomfort” to team doctors earlier in the day.

“To make a long story short, he was experiencing some discomfort when he was at the facility [Wednesday}. So, we took him to the docs and they’re going through some procedures. He stayed overnight in the hospital,” Tomlin said. “He has a lung situation that’s being addressed. I think he has some testing and so forth ahead of him this afternoon, and that’s all I know at this juncture. He and I communicated last night, he was comfortable, and that’s all I have really at this point.” 

The 31-year-old Watt is in the middle of his ninth season with the Steelers, who selected him with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. A seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, Watt won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021 after tying the league’s single-season record of 22.5 sacks. Watt, who has led the NFL in sacks on three separate occasions, is the Steelers’ career leader with 115 sacks. Earlier this season, he surpassed his brother and future Hall of Famer JJ Watt on the NFL’s career sack list. 

In 13 games this season, Watt has recorded 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception for the Steelers, who are currently 7-6 and lead the Baltimore Ravens by one game in the AFC North standings. 

If Watt can’t face Miami, he will be replaced by Nick Herbig, a fellow former Wisconsin Badger who has made nine starts over the past two years. This season, Herbig has recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks to go with three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception. 

Watt is the second Steelers player to be hospitalized in recent days. Following Pittsburgh’s Week 14 win over the Ravens, wideout DK Metcalf stayed overnight in a Baltimore area hospital after experiencing stomach pains. Tomlin said earlier this week that Metcalf is “moving in the right direction.”