Steelers’ Derrick Harmon Suffers Knee Injury
Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round rookie, Derrick Harmon, suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain in Thursday night’s preseason game, according to sources. The recovery time for an MCL sprain varies depending on the severity, but it can generally take several weeks or a month for a player to return. This could make the defensive lineman a candidate for short-term injured reserve, making him eligible to be activated after the team’s Week 4 game against the Vikings in Ireland. The Steelers have a bye in Week 5 and face the Jets, Seahawks, Patriots, and Vikings before the bye. Harmon suffered a knee sprain when he appeared to fall awkwardly while trying to get to quarterback Jack Plummer in the second quarter of the Steelers’ final preseason game against the Panthers on Thursday night. The injury appeared serious when Harmon was taken to the locker room on a cart with a towel over his head. However, Harmon returned to the bench in the final quarter, laughing as he sat with his teammates. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that Harmon had a knee sprain “of some description” and would be further evaluated. Additional images from Friday revealed the MCL sprain. Harmon, selected at number 21 in the April draft, had a strong training camp after being named a starter in the minicamp alongside Keeanu Benton and veteran Cameron Heyward in the team’s base defense.His absence could also affect Heyward, who is seeking a salary increase for the 2025 season.“He has heavy hands, he’s competitive, he’s exactly what we thought he was,” Tomlin said during training camp. “He’s certainly still in the process of development, acclimating, not only to the professional game, but specifically to the things we ask him to do within our scheme.”
Mike Tomlin
