PITTSBURGH — Not that you were going to see the Steelers’ key players in the second half of Sunday’s exhibition against Detroit anyway, but the action ended early for two of their four 2021 Pro Bowl picks.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson and outside linebacker T.J. Watt were ruled out by the team due to injuries before the end of the first half. Johnson went down early with a shoulder injury, and Watt left later on in the second quarter with an apparent left knee injury. Coach Mike Tomlin told CBS at halftime both players sustained minor injuries and may have been able to return in a regular-season game.
After a 38-yard catch down the left sideline in the first quarter, Johnson may have landed awkwardly and did not return. Watt was hit on a cut-block by Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson — not unlike the one that injured Giants first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux last week and caused controversy throughout the football world — but came back into the game afterward. That first blow to Watt had him moving gingerly, but it was another play on the next possession that sidelined him from there.
Of course, the quick rule-outs by the Steelers might just be a function of preseason football. There’s no reason to risk injury to begin with, let alone if a star player is even the least bit bumped or bruised.
But the starting offense played through the entire first half, too, with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback and Najee Harris continuing to touch the ball at running back. The Johnson and Watt injuries didn’t deter the Steelers from wanting to see their first-teamers work.
Surely, Tomlin will have to answer for his strategy on balancing valuable reps with preseason precaution. Lions coach Dan Campbell said early in the week both teams likely would play their starters in the first half, so it appears the plan was for the third and final exhibition to be the “dress rehearsal,” but the regular-season show won’t be as exciting if the Steelers aren’t at full strength.
