Steelers Activate OLB T.J. Watt, Place CB William Jackson On IR

The Steelers also elevated S Elijah Riley to their active roster. 

Watt, 27, is a former first-round pick of the Steelers back in 2017. He played out his four-year, $9.258 million contract and made a base salary of $1.72 million in 2020.

Pittsburgh exercised Watt’s fifth-year option last offseason for $10.089 million in 2021. He then signed a four-year extension worth over $112 million with the Steelers that included $80 million fully guaranteed at signing.

The Steelers recently restructured his deal in order to create $6.75 million in cap space.

In 2021, Watt appeared in 15 games for the Steelers and recorded 64 tackles, 22.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, three recoveries, and seven pass deflections.

Jackson, 30, is a former first-round pick of the Bengals back in 2016. He was in the final year of his four-year, $9.7 million contract when the Bengals picked up Jackson’s fifth option worth $9,954,000 for the 2020 season.

Jackson was testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2021 when he signed a three-year, $42 million deal with Washington. He was traded to the Steelers at the deadline a few weeks ago. 

Jackson is due base salaries of $5 million and $9.25 million over the final two years of the deal. 

In 2022, Jackson has appeared in four games for the Commanders and recorded 16 total tackles and two pass deflections.