Pittsburgh Steelers Place Pass Rusher on Injured Reserve

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had plenty of good news about their pass rusher T.J. Watt since Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but they'll still be without him for at least four weeks. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport announced the team had officially placed their star on injured reserve earlier Thursday morning.

The #Steelers have officially placed star TJ Watt on Injured Reserve, and he's likely out for the next 6 weeks or so while he rehabs his torn pec muscle. They have signed LB David Anenih from the #Titans practice squad.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 15, 2022

Watt initially sustained his torn pec in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' impressive victory over the Bengals in Week 1. Concerns that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year could miss the entire season were quickly quelled when second and third opinions revealed Watt could avoid surgery. The pass rusher elected for rehab, and a 6-8 week timeline for his recovery was quickly established. In the meantime, Watt will miss games against the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Buffalo Bills at the very least.

The player replacing Watt on the active roster, linebacker David Anenih, has yet to appear in regular season action. An undrafted free agent out of Houston following the 2022 NFL Draft, Anenih joins the Steelers following a stint on the Tennessee Titans practice squad. He's not likely to see the field much behind Steelers edge rushers Malik Reed and Alex Highsmith. Highsmith in particular will be expected to shoulder the pass-rushing load in Watt's absence; the third-year player had a league-leading three sacks in Week 1.