Deal or no deal, T.J. Watt expected to return to practice with Steelers on Wednesday

When the Pittsburgh Steelers ramp up practice Wednesday in preparation for the season opener Sunday at Buffalo, coach Mike Tomlin expects outside linebacker T.J. Watt to take part in it.

Watt hasn’t practiced in a 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 capacity during the entire offseason or preseason while awaiting a new contract from the Steelers that would make him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

With the season opener fast approaching, Tomlin expects Watt’s participation to change.

“I’m expecting him to work tomorrow,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his first in-season press conference. “I’m proceeding with the assumption that he is going to work tomorrow. That is the approach I’m taking.”

Whether Watt has a new, record-setting deal signed by that time is another matter.

“I remain optimistic that something is going to be get done from a deal perspective,” Tomlin said.

In 2017, after running back Le’Veon Bell remained away from training camp while waiting to sign his franchise-tag tender, he reported the week of the season opener. The next year, though, when the Steelers gave the franchise tag to Bell a second time, he did not report that week as teammates expected. He sat out the entire season.

Watt is in a different position because he is under contract — his fifth-year option is worth $10.089 million — and he has attended practice every day since training camp began in July. Watt, though, has limited his participation to individual drills, lessening his chance of an injury that would impact his bargaining power.

If Watt practices Wednesday — contract in hand or not — he would have just three opportunities to take part in contact drills.

Tomlin doesn’t expect Watt’s lack of contact to be an issue in the season opener or limit the number of snaps he might play against the Bills, the defending AFC East champions and conference championship participant.

“We’ll play it by ear,” Tomlin said. “One thing I’m not going to do is assume he’s a regular or normal guy. Guys that are in the position he’s in, they are in those positions because of their unique talents and skill set and will.”

Watt finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, losing the award to former Pitt star Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams.

In 2018, Donald held out the entire preseason before signing a six-year, $135 million contract just 10 days before the Rams’ season opener. Donald led the NFL with 20 1/2 sacks that year and was named league defensive player of the year for a second time, although he didn’t have any sacks in the first three games of the season.

“I was not surprised when he got to L.A. and performed immediately to an Aaron Donald standard,” Tomlin said. “Guys like those guys routinely do what others can’t, so I have that perspective on his readiness and anticipated quality of his play.

“I’ve been in this game so long at this level that I’m used to seeing uniquely talented people rise up in the face of adversity and circumstance and exceed it. I would be lying if I said I would be surprised if (Watt) performed and performed well.”

With Watt watching his teammates practice for the past six weeks, it gave a chance for undrafted free agent Jamir Jones to earn a roster spot alongside second-year outside linebacker Alex Highsmith and veteran free agent signee Melvin Ingram III. Highsmith and Ingram would be the starters if Watt is unavailable.

“I’ve been pleased with all those fronts,” Tomlin said. “Hopefully, it culminates in quality play this weekend from that group but (also), obviously, over the course of the 2021 season.”