Steelers Now
More details have emerged surrounding the lung issue the Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt was hospitalized with on Wednesday.
According to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Friday morning, Watt has a small hole in his lung that has been repaired. He is not expected to have any long-term impacts, but is “unlikely” to play this week.
.@TomPelissero shares the latest on T.J. Watt pic.twitter.com/cgclXPcKTB
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) December 12, 2025
Watt was in the team’s facility to work out on Wednesday and was having pain after lifting weights. He decided to get checked out, and after scans did not reveal damage to his collarbone or ribcage, he was taken to a hospital where the issue with his lung was discovered and repaired.
Watt only needs rest at this point in order to be cleared to return, but Pelissero reported that it’s “unlikely” that he’ll be able to play this week. Nick Herbig will start at left outside linebacker if Watt is unable to suit up. Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Thursday that Watt was “comfortable” but that the team did not have an official update on his status.
Pelissero also reported that there “would have been no reason” for Watt to be undergoing pain-killing treatment, such as the scenario that injured Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor in 2020. That incident reportedly happened when a medical staff member attempting to give him a painkilling shot accidentally punctured Taylor’s lung. That incident happened right before a game, while Watt’s lung issue cropped up on a players’ off day, five days before the Steelers are set to host the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.
With Watt’s issue cropping up while at the facility on an off day, the NFLPA is reportedly looking into incident.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: More Details Emerge on Medical Issue for Steelers Star T.J. Watt
