The Pittsburgh Steelers had a scary moment in their preseason finale when first-round pick Derrick Harmon had to be carted off the field, but the team may have avoided the worst.
The No. 20 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft was taken off the field on a cart after suffering a second-quarter injury against the Carolina Panthers. The team announced afterward that he was ruled out for the game, but they got a positive sign before the final whistle sounded.
Steelers May Have Avoided the Worst
While the team had not yet given an official update on the severity of Harmon’s injury, it appears it was not as serious as initially feared. The defensive lineman was seen on the bench near the end of the game, wearing street clothes but showing on obvious signs of impairment from the injury.
While Harmon could still miss time due to the injury, this points to something less severe than a torn ACL that would have wiped out his season.
Harmon’s demeanor was dramatically improved when he returned to the bench late in the game. When he was carted off the field in the second quarter, Harmon had a towel draped over his head and was visibly emotional, raising fears that he may have suffered a season-ending injury.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said at halftime that the rookie was still being evaluated, and the team has not offered any more official details in the time immediately after the game ended.
Steelers Counting on Rookie Defensive Lineman
As Noah Strackbein of SI.com noted, the Steelers could still have to do some shuffling if Harmon were to miss any time.
“The Steelers will hope for the best with Harmon’s injury,” Strackbein wrote. “The rookie is set to start at defensive tackle next to Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton. If he’s forced to miss time, the team will need to turn to veteran Isaiahh Loudermilk at their other defensive tackle. Fifth-round rookie Yahya Black would then become their primary backup across the line.”
Harmon already earned a big endorsement from Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger, who said on his podcast that the rookie defensive lineman looks poised to do big things in the NFL.
“He is gonna be an animal,” Roethlisberger said. “Love to see it. Love to see him basically manhandle people. He just takes control of the line, takes control of his guy. And he is gonna get so much better the more he learns about the little nuances of the game, little techniques, little trick things, things that the big guys do in there.”
Roethlisberger added that Harmon fell into a perfect spot in Pittsburgh, where he will be surrounded by veterans like Cam Heyward who can help him reach the next level.
“He’s gonna figure it out. He’s gonna learn from Cam [Heyward], he’s gonna learn from those guys how to be a vet.” Roethlisberger said. “Awesome for him. Really, really cool to see that guy’s growth, and it’s gonna be fun to watch him throughout the season.”
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