At long last, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have the face of their defense back in the fold. Three-time All-Pro pass rusher T.J. Watt will return to action when the Steelers play host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday after being activated off injured reserve. While Watt will be back, the Steelers will be without former All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is dealing with appendicitis.
Watt has been sidelined since suffering a pectoral injury in the Week 1 opener against Cincinnati and his return was slowed by a knee procedure in October. On top of his return to the field, Watt added that he does not expect to be on any sort of snap count on Sunday.
"I am very excited. It's been a long time coming," Watt said on Friday, via the team's official website. "I feel very, very good about the week that I had and excited to play, excited to be back at Acrisure Stadium and get the fans involved.
"It's huge to finally have a helmet back on and be out there on the field. Just to feel the emotions and feel alive again in the stadium. It's huge to be able to tap a guy on the head after he makes a good play. Get some guys celebrating. Bring some juice, bring some energy is all that I can ask for when it's time to play football. And I'm excited about it."
Naturally, this is a massive boost to a Pittsburgh defense that could use the reigning Defensive Player of the Year being injected into it. Entering Week 10, the Steelers are allowing 5.9 yards per play and have struggled to get off the field on third down with opponents converting 43.4% of the time. Both of those figures rank in the bottom third in the league.
Pittsburgh also ranks 25th in the NFL in sack percentage, which Watt's presence will certainly help rectifying.
When healthy, Watt is among the very best defensive players in the league. In that Week 1 overtime win against the Bengals, Watt had six tackles (three for a loss), one sack, and an interception. He's led the league in sacks in back-to-back years and tied the single-season sack record in 2021 with 22.5.
The Steelers are currently considered home underdogs against the Saints, who are laying 1.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook. With Watt now flying off the edge, he'll be a dynamic piece to help Mike Tomlin's club pull off the upset at home.
