Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt was back at the team’s practice facility on Thursday, for the first confirmed time since suffering a partially collapsed lung last week.
Watt was injured shortly after undergoing a dry needling procedure at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex last Wednesday, his brother, CBS Sports analyst J.J. Watt said last week. Watt was quickly hospitalized and had a procedure to repair a partially collapsed lung.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that he did not know if Watt had been back in the building since in the incident. Watt did not practice on Wednesday and was not spotted by reporters in the building.
The Steelers released a photo of Watt in the building on Thursday, enjoying an annual holiday visit from members of the Pittsburgh Symphony along with his teammates.
Nothing gets you in the holiday spirit like a performance by the @pghsymphony 🎶🎄
More 📸: https://t.co/LlS74VktLO pic.twitter.com/0eKTQDHZUV
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 18, 2025
Tomlin and the team have not released any further information about the specific cause of Watt’s injury, with him telling reporters on Tuesday that he has “no new information” on the incident that ended with his star linebacker in the hospital.
The Steelers also have not released any specific information about Watt’s status going forward, other than Tomlin declining to rule him out for this Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
“Yeah, he’s working through it. He’s working through it,” J.J. Watt said in appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. “It’s obviously not somewhere that he expected or would like to be. Just handling the situation day by day and making sure to find the appropriate and proper steps to get back to where he would like to be.”
In addition to Watt, backup outside linebacker Nick Herbig also did not practice on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury, and the Steelers could be down to their No. 4 and option at the position this Sunday in Detroit — likely fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer.
The Steelers hosted four edge rushers for visits this week and brought back former Steelers outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon, re-singing him from the Carolina Panthers practice squad. Because Moon was poached from another team’s practice squad, he must spend at least three weeks on the Steelers’ active roster — an indication the club is expecting to be without at least one of their top edge rushers for a little while.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: T.J. Watt Makes First Appearance at Steelers Facility after Injury
