Report: ‘Optimism’ TJ Watt will miss only one month with pec injury

Following up on yesterday’s report from Pro Football Talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “hope” that TJ Watt didn’t suffer a fully torn hamstring on Sunday, CBS’s Jonathan Jones says the same. He tweeted that there is “optimism” that Watt’s injury is only a partial tear and could miss only a month of action.

Watt is set to undergo an MRI on Monday, though I imagine that has already taken place and Pittsburgh has received initial results. While the team hasn’t announced anything, this report indicates that the information the team is getting is encouraging. Watt suffered the injury to his left ribcage late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Bengals and immediately left the field and went to the locker room. Prior to the injury, he is his typical dominant self recording a sack, pass deflection and interception against the Bengals.

Even if this report is true, Watt would likely still land on injured reserve, but he would be able to return after four weeks. Malik Reed will be the next man up until Watt returns.

As we noted yesterday, take everything with a grain of salt until there’s an official, confirmed report, but it’s looking better and better that Watt will suit up this season. And perhaps faster than first expected.

UPDATE (13:26): According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers may not have an official timeline on Watts’ injury until tomorrow. Watt will likely seek a second opinion, and he notes that the team is weighing rehab versus surgery.

Here is the full text of what he said.

“Yes, it’s a chest injury. TJ Watt has an MRI today to determine the extent of it. My understanding is that we may not get a firm word on the injury to TJ Watt, how long he’s out and what the next step is is until tomorrow.He will get a second opinion, probably to have a few different doctors review the scans.

“And the reason why, and this is my understanding of the current situation, is that Watt and the Steelers are still trying to figure out if he needs surgery, which would knock him out until at least the end of the season , or can he rehab and come back in a few weeks? Both of those options are on the table. There is a possibility that he doesn’t need surgery right away, which would be great. That would mean it’s more of a pec strain than a full tear, but more information is likely to come in the next 24 hours.”

And here’s what he had to say about Harris’ foot injury he suffered yesterday.

“This, as far as I understand, is related to the Lisfranc sprain that he had early in camp. Just tweaked it a bit. Right now it doesn’t seem to be any bigger. That’s the general feeling. But he had an MRI this morning and he still had more tests to determine; is there something else here, or is it just a slight aggravation of a previous injury?”