Pittsburgh Steelers Star T.J. Watt Undergoes Surgery On Collapsed Lung
UPDATE: Watt was officially ruled out for Monday night’s game on Friday afternoon.
If you had “collapsed lung via recovery treatment” on your 2025 NFL bingo card, go buy a lottery ticket immediately. In a league defined by high-speed collisions and violent tackles, it is almost painfully ironic that one of the game’s toughest players, T.J. Watt, ended up in the hospital because of a routine therapy session meant to help his body.
On Friday, the football world held its collective breath until J.J. Watt took to social media to calm everyone down. The future Hall of Famer and current CBS analyst provided a crucial update on his younger brother, confirming that T.J. underwent successful surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung.
A Routine Treatment Gone Wrong
According to the update from J.J. Watt, the injury occurred on Wednesday at the Steelers’ facility during a “dry needling” session. For those of us who aren’t elite athletes constantly trying to fine-tune our muscles, dry needling involves inserting thin needles into trigger points to relieve pain. Usually, it works wonders. This time? Not so much.
J.J. confirmed that while the recovery timeline is still “TBD,” the surgery went well, and T.J. was scheduled to be released from the hospital on Friday.
“He and his family are very appreciative of everyone’s kind words and well wishes,” J.J. wrote. It’s a relief, considering how terrifying “collapsed lung” sounds on paper. We’ve seen similar freak injuries before—Tyrod Taylor’s puncture in 2020 comes to mind—but it never makes the news any less jarring.
What This Means For the Steelers’ Playoff Push
Mike Tomlin cannot catch a break. Just days after the Steelers silenced the “Fire Tomlin” chants with a gritty 27-22 win over the Baltimore Ravens to reclaim first place in the AFC North, they lose their defensive MVP to a medical mishap.
The Steelers are sitting at 7-6, clinging to a one-game lead over Baltimore. With a massive Monday Night Football clash against the Miami Dolphins looming, the timing couldn’t be worse. While NFL insiders like Ian Rapoport suggest T.J. Watt is expected to return this season, it is highly unlikely he suits up this Monday.
That means the pressure falls squarely on the shoulders of Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith. Herbig has been a revelation this year, racking up 6.5 sacks, but replacing a generational talent like Watt is a tall order for anyone.
The Watt Family Bond
Something is fitting about J.J. being the one to break the news. Since retiring, the elder Watt has been doing the media rounds, but when it comes to his brother, he drops the “analyst” hat and speaks as family. It adds a human element to a story that could easily just be another line on an injury report.
For now, Steelers fans can relax knowing their star pass rusher is on the mend. T.J. Watt is tough, and a partially collapsed lung is just another hurdle. But for a team fighting for its playoff life, they’ll be counting down the minutes until No. 90 can breathe easy and get back to terrorizing quarterbacks.
