The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the most important game of the year so far on the road against the Baltimore Ravens, and they may be doing so without several of their key players. Their Tuesday injury report was an estimation to be taken with a grain of salt, but almost everybody dealing with something was labeled as “DNP” (did not practice). Among those players were OLB T.J. Watt and S DeShon Elliott.
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko on X, both players were getting some work in off to the side of today’s practice.
Elliott did not play in Week 15 due to a hamstring injury and his presence as one of the team’s best tacklers was sorely missed. While he is getting in a little work in the video above, it doesn’t look very rigorous. He was testing his mobility in his backpedal and lateral shuffle but appears to be going half-speed at best.
In the corner of the same video, Watt can be seen doing similar. He played in Week 15 and had two sacks before exiting the game late with a low-ankle sprain. Mike Tomlin told the media Monday that he is optimistic about Watt’s availability on Saturday, but the short week presents some challenges. They have one more real practice on Thursday and then the typical walkthrough on Friday the day before the game.
Tomlin said that all healthy players will go against the Ravens. The Steelers have a chance to win the division and secure a home playoff game for the first time since 2020. That would be a big step toward overcoming their playoff-win drought.
For what it’s worth, Watt’s brother, J.J. Watt told The Pat McAfee Show today that T.J. is walking around and feeling better. ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin also said on Get Up this morning that Watt is expected to be available against the Ravens if all goes well throughout the week.
