Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has officially announced that T.J. Watt can’t Look forward to the team’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Watt will be replaced by Markus Golden and Nick Herbig, with Alex Highsmith taking on the lead role.
Of course, the Steelers will have to win two playoff games on the road for it to be a big deal to bring Watt back into the fold, but Monday’s news offers hope for a return. Watt’s brother, former NFL star and CBS Sports analyst J.J. Watt.
It was reported Sunday that Watt will not have surgery and will recover after several weeks of rest but did not say whether Watt will return this year. The Steelers will move on without him, but Tomlin admitted replacing a guy like that would be tough.
It’s like we’re as deeply entrenched in that position as we’ve been for a long time.
But there is no replacement for Watt, who is the only player to become the NFL’s sack king for the third time in his career. Watt’s ability cannot be duplicated, and the arrival of Josh Allen will make it even more difficult for the Steelers to enter this game.
Trent Jordan Watt (born October 11, 1994) is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).
He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers before being selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Watt was a finalist for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019 and 2020 before winning the award in 2021, where he tied the single-season NFL record for most sacks, matching Michael Strahan’s 22.5-sack record set in 2001.
He is the younger brother of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J. J. Watt and fullback Derek Watt.
In his weekly press conference, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin announced that Pittsburgh will acquire T.J. Watt vs. Watt in the wild-card round Watt suffered a sprained MCL against the Baltimore Ravens late in the season.
Tomlin also said the team is “positive” about Minkah Fitzpatrick’s ability to play against the Bills on Sunday and will monitor him throughout the week. Roberts played the last game of the season against Baltimore with a shoulder strap.
The Steelers will have Damontae Kazee back from suspension, and Tomlin said the Steelers will evaluate him from a “metaphorical” standpoint to see where he is after missing the last few games of the year’s third season.
The Steelers will face the Bills in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
They will need all the help they can get defensively against Josh Allen and Buffalo’s dynamic offense.
