Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was confident earlier this week about wide receiver DK Metcalf’s availability for Monday night’s game against the Dolphins and the team’s first practice report of the week gave no reason to feel otherwise.
Metcalf was a full participant in the session. Metcalf stayed overnight in Baltimore after experiencing stomach pains that started after he took a hit early in last Sunday’s win over the Ravens.
Linebacker Patrick Queen (hip), quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left wrist), safety Kyle Dugger (hand), defensive lineman Yahya Black (shoulder), and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (ankle) were also full participants.
Linebacker Malik Harrison and tight end Darnell Washington were both limited as they work through the concussion protocol. Wide receiver Ben Skowronek (hand), cornerback James Pierre (calf), offensive lineman Andrus Peat (concussion), and edge rusher T.J. Watt (lung) did not practice. The Steelers announced earlier in the day that Watt has been hospitalized for evaluation of his issue.
Dolphins Clips
The news out of Pittsburgh regarding linebacker T.J. Watt’s hospitalization with a lung issue has raised plenty of questions. At the appropriate time, the NFL Players Association may seek some answers.
For now, the NFLPA has acknowledged that it is aware of the situation and has been in touch with Watt and his representation.
It’s far too early to compare Watt’s health issue with past situations, including most notably the punctured lung that Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered in 2020. He later sued the team’s doctor.
Litigation is, in theory, a possibility in this case, depending largely on the extent of the impairment and its impact on Watt’s ability to play.
Watt officially did not practice on Thursday due to the condition. The Steelers host the Dolphins on Monday night.
Earlier on Thursday, the Steelers announced linebacker T.J. Watt had been hospitalized with a lung issue and his status for Monday’s game against the Dolphins is up in the air.
After Thursday’s practice, head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the situation.
“I’m a little bit cautious about what I say, because I am not a medical expert,” Tomlin said, via Teresa Varley of the team’s website. “But to make a long story short, he was experiencing some discomfort when he was at the facility yesterday. So, we took him to the docs and they’re going through some procedures. He stayed overnight in the hospital.
“He has a lung situation that’s being addressed. I think he has some testing and so forth ahead of him this afternoon, and that’s all I know at this juncture.”
Tomlin added that he communicated with Watt on Wednesday night, with Watt noting he was comfortable.
“[T]hat’s all I have really at this point,” Tomlin said. “His status for Monday night is really up in the air. I think what transpires this afternoon is going to provide more information for us. I just don’t have a lot as I stand here today.”
Tomlin said he didn’t know when Watt began feeling discomfort. The head coach also said he didn’t believe Watt was dealing with an injury during or after the game that would have put him on the injury report.
“I know he was in the cafeteria at one point and that’s kind of when I got wind of it,” Tomlin said.
Watt, 31, has not missed a game since 2022. The four-time first-team All-Pro has recorded 7.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 18 quarterback hits so far in 2025.
Dolphins running back De’Von Achane will start off the team’s practice week as a limited participant.
Achane suffered a rib injury in the first half of last Sunday’s win over the Jets and did not return to the game. Head coach Mike McDaniel said after the game that Achane was available to return if needed, but there was no need to break that glass in a 34-10 win.
On Thursday, McDaniel said that Achane will be a limited participant in practice and, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, will see a “gradual increase in activity and physicality” leading into Monday night’s game against the Steelers.
McDaniel also said that it remains to be determined if Achane will wear a flak jacket to provide additional protection to his injury.
The Steelers announced on Thursday that linebacker T.J. Watt is not currently with the club due to a lung issue and has been hospitalized.
“T.J. Watt is currently in a local hospital for further medical evaluation of his lung after experiencing discomfort at the practice facility on Wednesday,” the Steelers’ statement from spokesman Burt Lauten reads. “He will not be at practice on Thursday, and his status for Monday night’s game vs. Miami is in question. Coach [Mike] Tomlin will provide more updates at the appropriate time.”
Watt, 31, has started all 13 games for Pittsburgh so far this season and has not missed a game since 2022.
He has recorded 7.0 sacks with 10 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, seven passes defensed, and one interception so far in 2025.
The Steelers placed offensive lineman Calvin Anderson on injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.
Pittsburgh has lost three offensive tackles to injuries the past three weeks, with starting left tackle Broderick Jones (neck) going on injured reserve, followed by Anderson’s knee injury in practice last week and Andrus Peat’s concussion in the Week 14 win over the Ravens.
The Steelers signed offensive tackle Dylan Cook to the active roster from the practice squad, and he could start against the Ravens on Monday night.
Cook, who has been with the Steelers since 2023, had not played an NFL snap until Peat was diagnosed with a head injury on Sunday. Cook played the final 13 snaps.
The Steelers also signed veteran tackle David Sharpe to the practice squad. A 2017 fourth-round pick, Sharpe has appeared in 46 games, including one with the Chargers this season.
Sharpe replaced running back Trey Sermon on the practice squad, with the Steelers releasing Sermon.
The Dolphins moved their winning streak to four games against the Jets last Sunday and cornerback Rasul Douglas helped make the win happen.
Miami had a 21-7 lead late in the first half, but backup quarterback Brady Cook was moving the Jets toward a score late in the second quarter. Douglas thwarted those hopes by picking off a pass in the end zone and keeping the Dolphins on pace for a 34-10 win.
Douglas was also credited with two tackles and five passes defensed in the victory. He has 44 tackles, two interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble on the season.
The NFL announced on Wednesday that Douglas has been named the AFC defensive player of the week. He also won the award in Week 17 of the 2023 season and took the NFC prize in Week 11 in 2021.
Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf did not travel back to Pittsburgh with the team after they beat the Ravens on Sunday, but it looks like he’ll be able to go against the Dolphins in Week 15.
Metcalf went to a Baltimore hospital after experiencing stomach pain. Head coach Mike Tomlin said at his Tuesday press conference that the wideout was injured on a hit early in the game and the pain got worse despite taking over the counter medication during the game, but is “moving in the right direction.” Tomlin said that Metcalf may be limited early in the practice week, but doesn’t “think it’s going to jeopardize his availability at all” for Monday night’s game against the Dolphins.
Tomlin also updated other injuries. Tackle Calvin Anderson is expected to miss another game with a knee injury while safety Kyle Dugger will have a chance to play after missing the Ravens game with a hand injury. Defensive tackle Derrick Harmon has missed multiple games with a knee injury and will be limited in practice as the Steelers assess whether he’s ready for game action.
Offensive lineman Andrus Peat, tight end Darnell Washington, and linebacker Malik Harrison were all ruled out against the Ravens after concussion evaluations and remain in the protocol. Peat started at left tackle and Dylan Cook got his first regular season playing time after he exited the game.
A week before the Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin secured a key win in Baltimore, Tomlin’s team suffered an embarrassing home loss to the Bills.
The 26-7 defeat prompted audible chants of “Fire Tomlin!,” and boos during the team’s iconic Renegade moment.
During Tomlin’s traditional Tuesday in-season press conference, he was asked whether he believed last week that he was on the hot seat.
“Man, I’ve been in the hot seat for 19 years,” Tomlin said. “I always feel like I got something to prove. Not necessarily to anyone in particular, but that’s just the spirit in which I go about what I do professionally.”
Still, last week was different. It also included former players, including Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison, openly expressing a belief that it’s time for a change.
The fans who were disgruntled in Week 13 will be back for Week 15, against the Dolphins. What does Tomlin expect from them?
“I expect them to show up, man,” Tomlin said. “It’s Monday Night Football in Acrisure [Stadium]. It’s gonna be a big game.”
It will be that. The Steelers are 7-6, and the Dolphins are surprisingly 6-7. And if things don’t go well for the Steelers in a game they’re favored to win by only three points, the chants and the boos could return — for a national TV audience to hear.
The NFL has announced eight finalists for this season’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
A panel made up of former NFL players Warrick Dunn, Larry Fitzgerald, Curtis Martin, and Leonard Wheeler chose the finalists after each team nominated one player for consideration. The award goes to the player that “best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, an integrity in competition.”
Cardinals safety Budda Baker has been selected as a finalist for the third straight season. Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David, Saints linebacker Demario Davis, and Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill are the other finalists from the NFC.
The AFC finalists are Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, Jets defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler, and Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Current NFL players will cast their votes for one of the finalists and the winner will be announced at the NFL Honors event during Super Bowl week.
