TJ Watt's return to the Pittsburgh Steelers will be delayed for quite a bit after he underwent a crucial surgery recently.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year suffered a pectoral injury in their 2022 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. His recovery timeline is six weeks, which should put him on track to feature in their Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 30. However, according to Brooke Pryor and Adam Schefter of ESPN, that return timeline is unlikely now after Watt had arthroscopic knee surgery.

Watt took the surgery to clean up the knee injury he was dealing from the preseason up until the start of the regular season.

Instead of a potential return in Week 8, Watt might need an extra week or two before suiting up again. The Steelers have Week 9 as a bye week, after which they'll be facing the New Orleans Saints at home in Week 10 and the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 11.

It remains to be seen when exactly Watt will be able to return, but fans shouldn't expect the Steelers to rush the return of the star linebacker. After all, Pittsburgh would rather have him 100 percent healthy to avoid any risk of re-aggravating the injury and having him sidelined longer.

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The news of Watt's surgery came after rumors emerged that he might have suffered a setback in his rehab. While we're not sure if he really suffered a problem in his return bid, it's possible his recent absence was because of the surgery.

Here's to hoping that Watt gets healthy sooner rather than later, though.