T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly received some positive news on Monday.
The good news keeps trickling in for T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After suffering a pectoral injury in the fourth quarter of the Steelers’ Week 1 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the “belief” is that Watt won’t need surgery on Monday night.
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Watt confirmed on Tuesday that he would be returning for the 2022 NFL season and that the injury was a partial tear, something that will not require season-ending surgery.
If the current belief proves true, Watt is expected to miss "six weeks or so" after it was initially feared that he would miss the entire season.
Watt is coming off a sensational year in which he tied the NFL’s single-season sack record. He didn’t miss a beat to start 2022, picking up six tackles, a sack and an interception against the Bengals before his day came to an end.
Watt, who signed a four-year, $112 million extension ahead of the 2021 NFL season, is the second-highest-paid defensive player in football behind Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
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Next up for the Steelers is their home opener against the New England Patriots on Sunday. If Rapoport’s injury timeline is accurate, Watt could return around Week 7 when Pittsburgh visits the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football.