With just 7.0 sacks through 13 games, T.J. Watt was arguably in the middle of the worst season of his pro career. And it somehow took another turn for the worse this week, with Watt forced to undergo surgery. On his lung, of all things.
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The surgery was successful, and T.J. will now begin recovering, but it was certainly a scary couple of days. His brother, J.J. Watt, shared the news on Twitter, saying that T.J. suffered a punctured lung after a dry needling treatment (similar to acupuncture but with more targeted impact on musculoskeletal issues and administered by a physiotherapist) at the Pittsburgh Steelers team facility.
The fact that the issue occurred at the team facility is something worth noting for later. But in the meantime, Watt has been ruled out for Pittsburgh’s Week 15 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. How long he remains sidelined after that is unclear, though the general sentiment is that he will be back at some point this season. So, who should fill the void now? Fans have some ideas.
With Philip Rivers coming out of retirement at 44 years old this week and Tom Brady saying he could still lace ’em up at 48 years old, some Steelers fans have gotten creative with their solutions to the Watt problem: another Watt.
“Phillip Rivers came out of retirement for the Colts after Danny Dimes went down. Why not convince JJ to come back in TJs absence?” posted one fan on Reddit.
Phillip Rivers came out of retirement for the colts after Danny Dimes went down. Why not convince JJ to come back in TJs absence
byu/11noson11 insteelers
“Going from couch to D line a lot different than couch to QB,” pointed out one Redditor.
“No. We need James Harrison now more than ever. Let him knock some heads,” replied another fan.
“NFL needs a senior tour,” quipped one Reddit user.
J.J. Watt is still only 36, so in terms of age, he is much closer to the range you would want compared to Rivers and Brady. But that one fan had the right of it. Returning to play quarterback and returning to the churn of the NFL trenches are two very different things.
There may be guys like Calais Campbell who are older than Watt and still playing defensive end in the NFL. But three years into retirement and now working a cushy gig as a color commentator for CBS, there is little chance J.J. stirs himself.
The Steelers are unlikely to do anything rash or make any major signings. Instead, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, both of whom have been just as disruptive as Watt this season (6.5 sacks apiece), will get more snaps. Ohio State rookie Jack Sawyer will get a real shot to impress in that No. 3 pass rusher spot too.
