NFL Players Reflect on Dry Needling After T.J. Watt Injury: “There’s Risk to Everything”
When news broke that Steelers star T.J. Watt suffered a partially collapsed lung during a dry needling session, it sent a ripple through NFL locker rooms.
Watt, one of the league’s most dominant defenders and the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year, is now sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery. For players around the league who rely on the treatment to manage pain and muscle tightness, the incident served as a stark reminder: even routine recovery methods come with risk.
But for many, that risk isn’t enough to make them walk away.
Trey McBride: “I’ve never had an issue like that”
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride is one of several players who regularly undergo dry needling. He’s aware of what happened to Watt - and he’s not changing his routine.
“It’s something I do frequently,” McBride said. “I’ve never had an issue like that. But with every treatment, everything that you get done, I mean, there’s risk to everything.”
That’s the balance NFL players constantly navigate: pushing their bodies to the limit while trying to stay healthy enough to compete at the highest level. Dry needling has become a trusted tool in that equation - especially when traditional methods fall short.
What is Dry Needling, and Why Do Players Use It?
Dry needling is a technique used by physical therapists and acupuncturists to relieve muscle pain and improve mobility. Thin, medication-free needles are inserted into trigger points - those knotted, tender spots in muscle tissue - to release tension, increase blood flow, and sometimes trigger the body’s natural pain relievers, like endorphins.
There are a few different techniques: superficial (just under the skin), deep (into the muscle), and pistoning (rapid up-and-down motion). It’s not always pleasant - players describe the sensation as a “bite” or a sharp pinch - but for many, the results are worth it.
New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke explained it like this: “It just releases tight muscles. You have some fascial tension, and it helps release that too.
It can give you a targeted trigger-point release where massage or stretching might not get the job done. Sometimes you stick a needle deep into that area, and it just gets it to relax.”
A Common Practice with Individual Preferences
Dry needling is approved in 37 states and D.C., though the rules and certifications vary. Some players swear by it. Others are more selective.
Washington Commanders guard Sam Cosmi has been using the treatment since his college days at Texas. Now in his fifth NFL season, he goes in for a session every few weeks.
“I only do it when I have to do it. It’s not my favorite thing,” Cosmi admitted.
He’s also careful about where he gets it done. “No torso,” he said.
“Just the legs.”
That sentiment is echoed by other players. Tennessee Titans center Lloyd Cushenberry, who dealt with an Achilles injury in 2024 and a calf issue this past offseason, uses dry needling sparingly and sticks to his lower body.
“Sometimes, like with my calf, I felt some relief,” he said. “But most of the time I’ve done it, it wasn’t a drastic difference.
Maybe a placebo, I don’t know. But when I did it with my calf this offseason … it felt a little better.”
Commanders receiver Jaylin Lane was even more direct: “I’m a lower-body guy. If I’m getting dry-needled, stick it in my legs.”
Veteran Players Rely on It - Even With the Risks
For some veterans, dry needling is a staple of their weekly recovery plan. Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman John Jenkins, now in his mid-30s and listed at 6-foot-3, 360 pounds, has been getting dry needling treatments for nearly a decade.
“I do a lot of lower extremities,” Jenkins said. “It helps me loosen up a lot of muscles that are pretty much tense.
I’m a bigger person, right? So whatever helps me to loosen the muscles, I’m going to pursue that.”
Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman, who undergoes the treatment five to ten times per year, sees it as a way to get ahead of lingering soft tissue issues.
“I think there’s like a bit of a systemic reaction,” Dalman said. “It can draw blood flow to affected areas. I’ve always used it in terms of soft tissue-type issues.”
T.J. Watt’s Injury Raises Eyebrows, But Not Panic
The Watt situation understandably caused players to take notice. Any time a routine treatment sends a player to the hospital, it forces a reevaluation. But so far, most players aren’t abandoning dry needling - just approaching it with a bit more caution.
Lane admitted the news made him nervous. Falcons offensive lineman Kyle Hinton heard about it too, but said it hasn’t changed his approach.
“I trust all professionals, at least around here,” Hinton said. “I’m sure they have a great athletic training staff in Pittsburgh as well. But, you know, sometimes just stuff happens.”
That’s the reality of life in the NFL. Every treatment, every recovery tool, comes with a trade-off. For now, dry needling remains part of the weekly grind for many players - even as they keep one eye on the risks.