Though Tuesday marked the first day of mandatory minicamp, not every Pittsburgh Steeler was in attendance. The team was at least one short with T.J. Watt not attending today’s workout. Speaking to reporters after practice, head coach Mike Tomlin says it was for an excused absence.
That information was relayed by WPXI’s Jenna Harner, who tweeted this a short time ago.
It’s not clear why Watt didn’t attend and if he will join the team tomorrow. But it seems to be no cause for alarm and something Watt cleared with Tomlin ahead of time.
Watt is coming off a bumpy 2022 season that saw him deal with multiple injuries. He suffered a partially torn pec in Week One, underwent knee surgery ahead of the bye weeks, and battled injured ribs later in the season. Still, he made his fifth Pro Bowl, even if it felt undeserved, and ended the season with 5.5 sacks. That ranked third on the team.
Though we’re still gathering information of the day, the Steelers’ attendance has been strong throughout the voluntary portion of workouts over the last three weeks. Pittsburgh has also seemed to have good health. While some players coming off 2022 injuries have been eased back onto the field, including LB Cole Holcomb and WR Allen Robinson II, the team is overall a healthy bunch. Most notable is seeing WR Calvin Austin III on the field and participating without limitations.
We’ll likely get an update should Watt return to practice. The Steelers will hold their minicamp practices Wednesday and Thursday before breaking for the summer. They’ll return July 26th when they report to St. Vincent College for training camp.
UPDATE (5:26 PM): After practice, Mike Tomlin confirmed center Ryan McCollum and punter Pressley Harvin III were also excused absences from today’s practice.
