Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver D.K. Metcalf went to the hospital after the team’s victory against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Tuesday that Metcalf is not in jeopardy of missing Week 15. The same is not the case, though, for edge rusher T.J. Watt, who has also been hospitalized.
The Steelers announced Thursday that Watt had “discomfort” in his lung at the practice facility this week. The team’s senior director of communications Burt Lauten suggested in a post on X that Watt could miss the Week 15 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
“T.J. Watt is currently in a local hospital for further medical evaluation of his lung after experiencing discomfort at the practice facility on Wednesday,” Lauten wrote. “He will not practice on Thursday, and his status for Monday night’s game vs. Miami is in question.
“Coach Tomlin will provide more updates at the appropriate time.”
Watt has been on the injury report at various times during the 2025 NFL season. But he hasn’t missed a game, and his ailments were not related to his lungs.
In 13 games this season, Watt has posted seven sacks, 18 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and one interception.
Steelers’ T.J. Watt in Hospital With Lung Discomfort
Hospitalizations, especially ones not related to football, always feel sudden. Even after Sunday’s game, that was the case with Metcalf. It’s definitely the situation with Watt.
Putting football aside, the hope from everyone should be that Watt isn’t dealing with too serious of a lung issue.
Other than what Lauten posted, there is no other information on the edge rusher’s health as of early Thursday afternoon. To suggest anything beyond what the team stated on social media would be speculation.
Watt has experienced somewhat of a disappointing season in 2025. He’s set a high bar throughout his career as one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. But this season, Watt has been good and often not great.
If he plays in all 17 games, Watt is on pace to register nine sacks and 23 quarterback hits. The 31-year-old hasn’t failed to reach 10 sacks in a season in which he played more than 10 games since his 2017 rookie campaign.
Two years ago, Watt led the NFL with 19 sacks.
Fans and pundits have wondered if the edge rusher began to decline last season. In 17 contests during 2024, Watt had 11.5 sacks and 27 quarterback hits. But he still led the NFL with six forced fumbles.
Watt gets double teamed and chipped as much as any pass rusher in the NFL. Still, the Steelers could use more production from him.
But again, the hope right now is Watt isn’t dealing with a serious health concern.
Steelers Edge Rushing Depth
Even with him experiencing a down year, the team obviously prefers to have Watt in the lineup. But if there’s good news from a football perspective, the Steelers have strong depth at edge rusher.
Alex Highsmith is coming off a strong game against the Baltimore Ravens. Highsmith had seven combined tackles, posted two quarterback hits and sacked Lamar Jackson to end the contest.
Nick Herbig hasn’t played as much the past two weeks. But he already has a career high 6.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits.
If Watt can’t play Monday, Highsmith and Herbig will presumably play the bulk of the edge rusher snaps for the Steelers. Pittsburgh also has rookie Jack Sawyer, who has two tackles for loss, a sack and interception in 182 defensive snaps this season.
The Steelers grabbed Sawyer in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Dolphins will visit the Steelers for Monday Night Football in Week 15. With the game on Monday, Watt, and other injured players, have an extra day to prepare for the matchup.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post T.J. Watt’s Week 15 Status for Steelers ‘In Question’ After Hospitalization appeared first on Heavy Sports.