Pittsburgh Steelers place star defender on COVID list

The hits keep coming for the Steelers. One day after an absolute drubbing at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh placed star defender T.J. Watt on the COVID list.

“We have placed LB T.J. Watt on the Reserve/COVID-19 List,” tweeted the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier on Monday.

While Watt couldn’t help the Steelers slowdown the Bengals offense on Sunday, he’s a vital piece to the team’s slimming playoff hopes. With the Pittsburgh defense looking to rebound, it’s a huge blow to be missing their top player.

If Watt has to miss Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers may have trouble slowing down Lamar Jackson. Afterwards, Pittsburgh faces the Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs — an offensive onslaught.

On the season thus far, T.J. Watt has 12.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. His production and intimidation factor is something that’s impossible to replicate.

Steelers sign defensive lineman

The Pittsburgh Steelers just added some depth to the defensive line. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers have signed defensive lineman Montravius Adams from the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad.

Adams, a former third round pick by the Green Bay Packers out of Auburn, has been in the NFL since 2017. He spent the first four years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, where he had 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, six quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks in 45 games. Adams has played five games with the Saints this season, totaling seven tackles and one tackle for loss. He was on the Saints’ practice squad, and the Steelers are adding him to their active roster.

Adams is a former five-star recruit. He played for Auburn from 2013 to 2016, where he had 147 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, two interceptions, three passes defended, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown.