Steelers HC Mike Tomlin refuses to speculate on T.J. Watt return — remains optimistic

USA Today

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin refuses to speculate on T.J. Watt return — remains optimistic
T.J. Watt missed all three days of mandatory minicamp, but Steelers HC Mike Tomlin isn't worried — and certainly won't speculate on when he'll be back.
At mandatory minicamp, Tomlin was asked if he expects Watt to be in attendance for training camp taking place in five weeks — and this was his response (courtesy of ESPN's Brooke Pryor):
'I'm not going to get into speculation there. You guys know what negotiations are about. I'm optimistic we're going to get things done because we got two sides that want to get things done. When that's going to occur, I do not know.'
Watt's absence from mandatory camp — and potentially training camp — has deviated from the 2021 contract dispute infamously coined as a 'hold-in,' as a full-blown holdout now appears to be in the works.
The Steelers' front office needs to take a long look in the mirror and realize how this entire situation was easily preventable — and likely avoidable for a fraction of what it will cost this season — if they had extended Watt last year.
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