Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers don't activate T.J. Watt from IR ahead of Week 8 vs. Eagles

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 29, 2022 5:44 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to wait at least another week for the return of superstar outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

The team did not activate him from injured reserve by Saturday's 4 p.m. ET roster deadline, meaning he will not be eligible to play in Sunday's game against the 6-0 Philadelphia Eagles.

Deadline for TJ Watt to be activated and play on Sunday was 4 pm. He will be ready for Nov 13 game against the Saints.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) October 29, 2022

There had been some hope this week that Watt could return sooner than expected, especially after he practiced several times and did not dismiss the idea of playing.

It now seems likely that he will return in two weeks (after the Steelers' bye next week) against the New Orleans Saints.

Watt has been sidelined since the Steelers' Week 1 win with a pectoral injury, which was also followed by a knee procedure. The Steelers defense has badly missed the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and has struggled to consistently generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The Steelers will also be without defensive starters Levi Wallace and Larry Ogunjobi as well as kicker Chris Boswell for Sunday's game.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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