J.J., T.J. and Derek Watt are well-known as Wisconsin Badger legends and some of the NFL’s best at their respective positions. What they’ve
J.J., T.J. and Derek Watt are well-known as Wisconsin Badger legends and some of the NFL’s best at their respective positions.
What they’ve always been, even before they touched the field at Camp Randall and their last name reached the fame it has today, though, are Wisconsinites.
If anybody needed a reminder, photos were tweeted yesterday of the brothers channeling their inner Wisconsin and using a frozen lake as a post-workout ice bath.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) March 5, 2021
There’s an ice bath, then there’s a cutting-a-hole-in-a-frozen-lake ice bath.
The Watt brothers never disappoint when it comes to showing their Wisconsin roots and tendencies.
Contact/Follow usĀ @TheBadgersWireĀ on Twitter, and like our page onĀ FacebookĀ to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.
A legendary Pittsburgh sandwich shop has made a tempting offer to T.J. and Derek Watt regarding brother J.J.
Primanti Bros. sandwiches are legendary. The NFL Watt Bros. are pretty damn good themselves. Makes for a delectable Pittsburgh combination.
So, with T.J. and Derek Watt already with the Steelers and J.J. Watt being released by the Houston Texans, Primanti Bros. has made the younger brothers quite the offer:
Get the Steelers to sign the star defensive lineman and we’ll rename our restaurant, Watt Bros.
There were a few, however, that were part of the winning side and advanced to the next round—OLB Zack Baun, LB Jack Cichy, OT Rob Havenstein, OT David Edwards.
Here is how every former Badgers performed during NFL Wild Card weekend:
J.J. Watt thanked fans for their thoughts and concerns.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are battling tonight in a classic AFC North rivalry game that hasn’t seen a lot of offense yet in the first half.
The game did start, however, with a very scary moment when Steelers fullback Derek Watt was injured while making a tackle on a punt return. Watt Ā appeared to be knocked out on the play and many players took a knee on the field while the medical staff took care of him.
Thankfully Derek Watt was able to walk off the field under his own power. He has been getting checked out for a concussion and hasn’t returned to the game.
His brother J.J. Watt is watching for home and tweeted his concerns:
Worst feeling you can ever have watching a football game.
Sounds like heās going to be alright thankfully.
While they hadn’t used a fullback consistently in quite some time, the Steelers still shelled out a 3-year, $9.75 million contract — including a whopping $3.25 million in guarantees and a $1 million signing bonus. A total cash payout of $4.25 million.
With that lucrative of a contract, Pittsburgh had to expect he’d be a force at fullback. After all, Watt was the “unsung hero” in Los Angeles, leading the way for Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon.
After signing Watt, there was speculation that the Steelers were planning to commit to the run game, something they hadn’t done since 2018. And the timing couldn’t be better. Using the run to take pressure off 38-year-old Ben Roethlisberger, who was coming off a year of elbow rehab, was the smart thing to do.
Only that’s not what Pittsburgh has done. In nine games, Watt has been involved in an average of 7.6 percent or 49 total offensive snaps — that’s fewer than a dozen per game.
Here’s the breakdown:
Courtesy of Pro Football Focus
Pittsburgh’s ground attack had a degree of success early in the season. Benny Snell logged 113 yards in Week 1, followed by 100+ yard games from James Conner in Weeks 2, 3 and 6. Since then, the ground game has been deteriorating before their very eyes, yet, for whatever reason, the Steelers have flat-out refused to utilize Watt as a run blocker.
There could be a few reasons for this. Perhaps they realized Watt isn’t as good as they envisioned — he’s whiffed on multiple assignments (including once at the goal line versus Washington Football Team) and carries a 42.6 PFF grade.
Maybe Watt’s previous injuries are lingering and limiting his capabilities. Derek dealt with knee and shoulder injuries throughout his time out west. Once in Pittsburgh, training camp was slowed first due to COVID shutdown, then Watt was eased in after recovering from an undisclosed offseason surgery. Three weeks into the regular season, he sustained a hamstring pull that caused him to miss 5.5 games.
To compensate for the deficiencies on the ground, the Steelers style of offense to this point has been a lot of four-receiver sets, and getting Watt on the field means someone has to come off.
At this point, no matter what the reason for Watt’s lack of playing time, the Steelers need to increase his role on offense and give him more opportunities to prove himself. After all, when receivers drop balls, Roethlisberger keeps throwing to them. Teams that utilize a fullback as lead blockers — the Minnesota Vikings (C.J. Ham) and Cleveland Browns (Andy Janovich) — have two of the most successful run games in the league with Dalvin Cook and Nick Chubb.
While Watt’s backfield contributions are few, he’s been integral to the success of special teams with 15 key plays, two tackles and an assist (though not akin to his usage in California).
Courtesy of Pro Football Focus
Still, nothing about Watt says he’s worth $4.25 million, let alone nearly $10 million over the life of his contract.
If he continues to be nothing more than a (very expensive) special teams ace, Pittsburgh needs to cut their losses, and Derek Watt, before his $1 million roster bonus hits in March.
With the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers getting ready for kickoff in Arlington, the official inactive lists have been released. Ezekiel Elliott, after going through a closely monitored pregame workout routine, is indeed active despite being limited in practice throughout the week. He has yet to miss a game due to injury in his career.
There was some thought that the soft tank would be on for a team that has nothing meaningful to play for the rest of the year, but the team apparently hasn’t reached that point yet, though that could change. The official inactive list can be seen below:
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) November 8, 2020
Linebacker Joe Thomas is out with a wrist injury despite returning to practice, though in a limited fashion, on Friday. It will presumably be Sean Lee who fills his shoes.
Defensive end Aldon Smith, who has been dealing with an ailing knee for a couple of weeks will be available for use, though it’s possible he’s on a limited pitch count with Randy Gregory on the gameday roster. Rookie defensive back Reggie Robinson is still not able to get onto the active roster so far this year. The fourth-round pick has been healthy but a scratch all season. Likewise, fifth-round DE Bradlee Anae is inactive as well.
For the Steelers, Defensive tackle Tyson Alualu is out, though that had been reported earlier in the week, which will give the interior of the Dallas line a bit of a break. His replacement is rookie Carlos Davis, a seventh-round pick out of Nebraska.
Steelers rookie Carlos Davis gets his first hat with the injury to Tyson Alualu. TE Vance McDonald, who was questionable with illness, is also active. Meanwhile, Mike Hilton misses his third game. Steelers inactive list: QB Josh Dobbs; CB Mike Hilton;… https://t.co/JVV1TU5aYy
Meanwhile, the choices for captains for the Cowboys must be getting slim, because it’s a ragtag bunch of players getting the nod this week. Wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, defensive tackle Antwaun Woods and C.J. Goodwin make up that crew.
Mike Tomlin shared updates on his fullback and safety ahead of this week’s matchup versus Titans.
Fullback Derek Watt and safety Marcus Allen are classified as doubtful for the Week 4 contest versus the Titans, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
āOn the injury front, [Derek] Watt has a hamstring, he could be classified as out or doubtful,ā Tomlin said. āI doubt that participation is going to lead to play in his regard. Marcus Allen has plantar fasciitis. He could be classified as doubtful. Again, if it perks up, his chances are better than Watt. But again, if youāre looking at potential availability there, it is what it is. The rest of it is normal bumps and bruises associated with play.ā
Allen has appeared on special teams in each game this season, particularly on kickoffs. He had two tackles versus the Texans and blocked a field goal in Week 3.
Timelines aren’t clear for either Watt or Allen, but they’re likely to miss multiple games with the nature of their injuries.
The Steelers might need to change things up without Derek Watt.
[jwplayer ce2YHF6N-ThvAeFxT]
#Steelers FB Derek Watt suffered a Grade 2 hamstring pull, source said, which means heāll miss a couple games. The Ultimate Tag host and special teamer left the win over the #Texans early.
According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, the injury Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Derek Watt suffered on Sunday could force him to miss multiple games. Rapoport characterized the injury as a Grade 2 hamstring pull.
Pittsburgh is one of only a handful of NFL teams that uses a true fullback with any consistency. The Steelers have shown a new-found commitment to the run game with a 100-yard rusher every week so far.
If Watt does have to miss several weeks, what do the Steelers do? On Sunday the Steelers used a combination of tight end Vance McDonald in the backfield and offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins as a sixth offensive lineman.
But if the Steelers want to come up with something more substantial there is an option. Former Steelers fullback Roosevelt Nix is currently a free agent. The two sides parted ways this offseason but getting Nix back into the fold would be seamless.
Sunday will be only the third time that three brothers have played in the same game in the 100-year history of the NFL.
When T.J. and Derek Watt take on their brother J.J. and the Houston Texans on Sunday, it will be the third time that three brothers have played in the same game in the 100-year history of the NFL.
The eldest Watt, defensive end J.J., was the first of the brothers’ trio to enter the NFL via the 2011 draft. Fullback Derek was next up in 2016 (San Diego Chargers). The youngest, T.J., was, of course, snapped up by Pittsburgh in 2017. Justin James and Trent Jordan were both first-round selections, and Derek was sixth.
After nearly 20 seasons between them, this Sunday, all three will play together for the first time in an NFL game. T.J. has played Derek, and Derek played J.J. When the Steelers and the Texans faced off in December 2017, J.J. was on injured reserve, so Sunday will be the only time T.J. has played against J.J.
It could also be the one and only time an event like this happens for the Watts. Pittsburgh plays Houston only every four years, and J.J. will likely have hung up his cleats by 2023.
The last time T.J. played against Derek was Oct. 23, 2019, and the linebacker compiled a half-sack, three tackles, four QB hits and a batted pass. The first time their teams went to battle, T.J. had a quiet game with a tackle and a QB hit.
And now they’re on the same team, which makes Sunday possible.
One of the best compliments @_TJWatt gave to his oldest brother, @JJWatt, was he always gave advice to him and @DerekWatt34 to help them 'Be the best football players we can be and the best young men we can be.'
Unfortunately, Connie and John Watt can’t be at Heinz Field on Sunday to watch this momentous occasion unfold in person. The stadium remains closed to fans — yes, even V.I.Ps. But it’s something T.J. and Derek understand.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about our safety, the whole team, keeping the season on track and not putting that in jeopardy,” said Derek in a Friday press conference shared with T.J. (and a special appearance by J.J.). “It’s unfortunate that they won’t be able to be here. They’ll be watching at home and re-watch and rewind. They’re just grateful that we’re able to experience it, and they’ll get plenty of pictures, I’m sure.”
“It’s definitely a different game when they are able to play together or against each other,” said Connie in an interview for Steelers.com. “It’s something we treasure. It’s a remarkable experience. We are all excited.”
The second time three brothers appeared in one NFL game was last December when the Steelers played the Buffalo Bills. Two brothers, safety Terrell Edmunds and running back Trey Edmunds, are on Pittsburgh’s roster. Their brother, Tremaine, is a linebacker for the Bills.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the first set of brothers to play in an NFL game was in 1927 when Joe, Cobb and Bill Rooney all played for the Duluth Eskimos.
The ink wasn’t even dry on his contract, and Watt had already made more money with the Steelers than in 
