Report: ‘Optimist’ TJ Watt will miss only one month with Pec . injury

Continue on Yesterday’s report from Pro Football Talk On the “hope” of the Pittsburgh Steelers, TJ Watt did not suffer a complete pectoral muscle tear on Sunday, says CBS’s Jonathan Jones similarly. He wrote on Twitter that there is “optimism” that Watt’s injury is only a partial rupture and that he could miss up to a month of confrontations.

Watt is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, although I imagine that has already happened and Pittsburgh has received the initial results. While the team hasn’t announced anything, this report indicates that the information the team is getting is encouraging. Watt picked up a left chest injury late in the final quarter of Sunday’s win over the Bengals and immediately left the field for the locker room. Prior to the injury, he had his typical dominant personality, scoring a sack, passing swerve, and intercepting against the Bengals.

Even if that report is true, Watt will likely land an injured reserve but he will be able to come back four weeks later. Red’s owner will be the next guy until Watt returns.

As we noted yesterday, take everything with caution until an official report is confirmed, but it looks better and better that Watt will fit in this season. Perhaps faster than initially expected.

Update (1:26 PM): According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Steelers may not have an official schedule for Watt’s injury until tomorrow. Watt is likely to seek a second opinion and notes that the team is balancing rehabilitation and surgery.

This is the full text of what he said.

“Yes, it’s a chest injury. TJ Watt is having an MRI today to determine the extent of it. My understanding is that we may not get a firm word on TJ Watt’s injury, how long he has been out and what the next step is until tomorrow. He’ll get a second opinion, likely To have two different doctors review the examinations.

“The reason, and this is my understanding of the current situation, is that Watt and the Steelers are still trying to figure out if he needs surgery, which would put him out until at least the end of the season, or can he rehab and come back in a couple of weeks? Both options are on the table. There’s a chance he doesn’t need surgery right away, which is great. That means it’s more of a chest strain than a full tear, but more information is likely to come in the next 24 hours.”

This is what he said regarding Harris’ foot injury he suffered yesterday.

“This is related, in my understanding, to the Lisfranc sprain he had early in camp. Kind of adjusting that a little bit. As of now, it doesn’t look like it’s that big. That’s the general feeling. But he had an MRI this morning, and he’s still undergoing further From scans to determine it; is there something else here or is it just a minor exacerbation of a previous injury?”