Steelers expected to get big boost with the return of TJ Watt

CBS News Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Tomorrow afternoon, the Steelers return to the gridiron after a bye week to take on the New Orleans Saints.

The news that all of Steeler Nation has been waiting for since week one has finally arrived – TJ Watt has said he will return to the lineup.

The team made it official on Saturday, activating him off of injured reserve.

Watt missed seven games with a torn pectoral muscle as well as having to get arthroscopic knee surgery.

Since he left the lineup, the Steelers have complied a 1-6 record and in his entire career, the Steelers are 1-10 without him.

So that tells you just how important he is to this franchise.

The big question going into tomorrow's game is will the Steelers manage his workload and will he be on a snap count?

According to Watt, he's 100 percent and ready to go with no limitations.

"No pitch count, I don't want to put any limitations on myself, I never play 100 percent of the snaps anyways," Watt told KDKA Sports' Rich Walsh earlier this week.

To further underscore just how important Watt is, in the one game he played this year, the Steelers recorded seven sacks.

In the seven games he has missed?

Just eight in total.

Meanwhile, the Steelers downgraded Minkah Fitzpatrick to out due to his appendix.

They also put CB Will Jackson on the reserve/injured list and safety Elijah Riley was elevated to the active/inactive roster.

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