TJ Watt misses Steelers practice with heel injury

Steelers linebacker TJ Watt did not practice on Thursday because of a heel injury. Pittsburgh added the star pass-rusher to the injury report because of the issue.

Watt’s status for Sunday’s game against the Rams remains unknown at this time. The Steelers are coming off a bye week. Two weeks ago, the Steelers defeated the Ravens 17-10 to improve to 3-2 on the season.

The #Steelers added TJ Watt to the injury report with a heel injury. He did not practice today. pic.twitter.com/zG5lkLSruy

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 19, 2023

Watt has started in each of Pittsburgh’s first five games this season. He has already piled up 15 tackles, which includes eight sacks. The linebacker also has four passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, which includes a touchdown.

The Steelers and Rams go head-to-head at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. The game is at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles with coverage coming on FOX.

Watt missed seven games during the 2022 season because of injury. But when he was on the field, he proved to be dominant. The linebacker tallied 39 stops with 5.5 sacks. He also finished the year with five passes defended, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

Kenny Pickett thrilled to have Steelers WR Diontae Johnson back

While the Watt news is troubling for the Steelers defense, there is some good news on the injury front in Pittsburgh. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson and running back Anthony McFarland Jr. returned to practice this week.

Both remain on the injured list but are back on the practice field. Quarterback Kenny Pickett says he’s thrilled to have another weapon on the field for the passing game.

“[Johnson brings] his experience and route running and understanding of our offense and what we want to do,” Pickett said. “You know, I feel like another guy that if he’s one one-on-one, he’s going to win for me. He does a great job in all areas of being a receiver, so it’s awesome to have him.”

Last season, Johnson hauled in 86 receptions for 882 yards. He did not have a touchdown grab during the year, though. In 2021, he posted the best year of his career, totaling 107 catches for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.

“I mean, he’s just a really talented player overall,” Pickett said. “He does a lot of different things, you know, really well for us. A great guy to talk to on the bench with seeing different things defensively and what they’re doing. So, guy gets open, guy moves the chains for us. Going to be a huge asset moving forward.”