Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt (lung) is considered a long shot play in next Sunday’s pivotal winner-take-all Week 18 game for the AFC North against the Baltimore Ravens, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Watt is considered a “long shot” to play in Week 18,” Florio wrote.
The source added, “Never say never but not an ideal timeline to be fully cleared.”
Via Tracy Wolfson of CBS, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Watt won’t play until he has a week of practice as a full participant. Tomlin added that they’re treating Watt’s condition differently than an injury situation.
Watt was a limited participant in all three practices last week.
Watt has been sidelined since suffering a partially collapsed lung on Dec. 10. Watt’s injury reportedly followed him undergoing a dry needling procedure at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex after a workout on a players’ off day. He was quickly hospitalized and had a procedure to correct the injury.
Tomlin said last Tuesday that Watt is largely recovered from the procedure, and now his readiness will be about his ability to get back into game shape after the lung injury.
“I think that’s a fair estimation, but again, I’ll let him speak in terms of his medical,” Tomlin said. “I think for me, to talk about injury is one thing, to talk about medical is something else. So that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been a little bit hesitant besides my lack of expertise on the subject matter. … I’m sure he’s been in the building, but I’ll gain further information about his potential participation at the early portions of the week and where that might lead.”
Watt has not spoken publicly since the incident, with his brother, CBS Sports analyst J.J. Watt releasing a statement about his injury on Dec. 12.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Get Major Update on T.J. Watt’s Status for Ravens Game
