Steelers Star T.J. Watt Misses Practice on Thursday

PITTSBURGH — Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt did not practice on Thursday with a heel injury, the team announced on their injury report. With that in mind, Markus Golden and Alex Highsmith would start, with Nick Herbig, who is still limited with a quad injury, as the leading rotational player if Watt can not play for some reason.

Watt is also dealing with a finger injury, which could require surgery in the offseason, but right now, Watt has not raised much concern about that injury. This new heel injury is a mystery and came out of nowhere, meaning it may have occurred during Wednesday’s practice. It is unclear if they held him out for precautionary reasons or if Watt is in grave danger of missing Sunday’s game, and regardless, having the star pass rusher not practice on a Thursday before a match is not ideal.

With the finger injury, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was asked about the ailment. Specifically, he was asked if there was any worry for the future of Watt’s injury and if his game would have limitations. His answer was terse and revealing.

“No and no,” Austin said.

That injury happened in the first quarter when Watt came off the field following a play. However, he went on to get two sacks, including the game-clinching sack. As always, Watt racked up five pressures on the day with that injury and became a positive bonus in the run game.

The Steelers were hoping they would have a healthy team after the bye week. For the most part, it appears that they will have a healthy group, but Watt’s injury throws a curveball toward their plans. Pittsburgh had a fully padded practice on Wednesday. And so it is possible that Watt got dinged up at some point during that practice.