The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the national media throughout the week as star defender TJ Watt was hospitalized after experiencing lung discomfort on Wednesday. The outside linebacker's status for the game in Week 15 is up in the air, but thankfully he is okay and was released from the hospital on Friday. The incident happened at the team's facility on Wednesday, and it resulted in a collapsed lung.
Harrison Barden / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers linebacker TJ Watt lines up against the Bills' offense during Pittsburgh's 26-7 loss in Week 13 of the 2025 NFL regular season.
It was unclear exactly what happened that put Watt in the hospital. Most NFL fans immediately thought back to the Tyrod Taylor situation in 2020 when he was getting a pain-killer injection and the team doctor punctured his lung. That was not the case this time around, although it was similar. JJ Watt reported on Friday that his brother was going through a dry-needling session at the facility when the incident occurred, and he had to go through a minor surgery to repair the collapsed lung.
"Yesterday TJ had successful surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung suffered Wednesday after a dry needling treatment session at the facility," JJ wrote. "Recovery timeline is still TBD, but all went well and he is being released from the hospital today. He and his family are very appreciative of everyone’s kind words and well wishes."
It is good news that everything went well and TJ is being released from the hospital. This was certainly a scary situation, especially because it happened at the team facility during a normal stage of recovery that a lot of players go through throughout the week.
TJ should not feel any need to rush back on the field. The Steelers have depth at the position, and his health and wellbeing should be the priority.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' TJ Watt after a play against the Chiefs in Week 17 of the 2024 season.
Collapsed lungs often heal on their own, but that was not the case this time around as TJ had to be sent to a hospital to undergo surgery. It was the training staff of the Steelers that did this by accident, which is rare, but also quite embarrassing for the organization. Players should be able to undergo whatever type of recovery they might need within their respective team's facility without having to worry about some fluke injury like this happening to them. Mistakes happen, but they can surely be costly.
Dry needling is a treatment many, many players do at the team facility without issue to alleviate general soreness. Following one treatment, TJ Watt was left in extreme pain, and doctors quickly sent him to the hospital.
A harrowing experience. But minor surgery & full recovery. https://t.co/VUXQDM13u8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2025Players all throughout the league get dry needling done throughout the week in order to feel better. It is not like TJ was being injected with anything, which is what was the case when this similar situation happened to Taylor. Taylor was ruled out for four weeks after going through his lung injury back near the start of the 2020 season.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' TJ Watt gets ready to run out onto the field ahead of a game against the Ravens in Baltimore during the 2025 season.
Steelers Cannot Rush TJ Watt Back Onto The Field
TJ is going to want to try to play against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, but it is probably best if he takes at least a week off. It was still up in the air about his status for the game on Monday night when Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media, but that could all just be a smokescreen for Miami. It is hard to believe he would be ready or able to play after an experience like this. The Steelers have plenty of depth at his edge rusher position, and he and the team should be patient when it comes to getting him back out on the field.
What do you think of the news regarding TJ? Let us know in the comments below!
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