Mike Tomlin says TJ Watt's minicamp absence was excused

Steelers linebacker TJ Watt was not present as the team kicked off its mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. However, coach Mike Tomlin cleared up any concerns regarding his absence.

Tomlin told SteelersNow.com that Watt was one of three players excused along with offensive lineman Ryan McCollum and punter Pressley Harvin III. The coach also joked with media members for not asking about the other two.

“Everyone was here that I anticipated being here,” Tomlin said. “I gave a couple of guys an excused absence for a variety of reasons. T.J. wasn’t here. Ryan McCollum wasn’t here. I’m sure you guys missed T.J. I’m sure none of you missed Ryan McCollum.”

Tomlin did not go any deeper into the reason why TJ Watt wasn’t able to make it to minicamp. The five-time Pro Bowler and 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year attended all but one practice during the three-week OTA period prior to minicamp.

Regardless, Watt figures to once again be a leader on the Steelers defense as he aims to bounce back from a knee injury that caused him to miss seven games this past season. The linebacker finished 2022 with 39 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble after leading the NFL with a combined 37.5 sacks the two years before.

The Steelers ultimately had 89 players in attendance at Tuesday’s minicamp, including a pair of tryouts in veteran linebackers Jermaine Carter Jr. and Nick Kwiatowski. Additionally, starting linebacker Alex Highsmith was there despite still being in negotiations for a new contract. Recently signed linebacker Markus Golden was also in attendance.

It remains to be seen whether Watt will make an appearance at the Steelers minicamp later this week. The team is set to wrap things up on Thursday, after which they will get around a month off before the start of training camp.

Tyson Alualu hopes to return to Pittsburgh Steelers

As the Pittsburgh Steelers kick off mandatory minicamp this week, defensive tackle Tyson Alualu won’t be on the field. Alualu’s contract ran out in March and he is still on the free agency market after playing in all 17 games for Pittsburgh last season.

The former first-round draft pick out of Cal told the hosts of The Sick Podcast that he’s staying in shape and hoping to land back with the Steelers for 2023.

“I’m preparing like I will play this season,” Alualu said, via SI.com. “I can’t tell where it’s gonna be. But in a perfect world, I would love to be back with the Steelers and finish here. But I’ve been training and it felt normal.”

Alualu played every game last year, but only played roughly 27 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. He racked up 13 tackles with a half-sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. The 13-year veteran has been with the Steelers since 2017 after spending the first seven seasons of his pro career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.