First-round rookie Derrick Harmon is going to miss some regular season time for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That quickly became a foregone conclusion when Harmon left Week 3 of the preseason with a knee injury.
But despite needing a cart to leave the field, the injury wasn’t severe enough to potentially rule out Harmon for the season. It also might not be serious enough for Harmon to land on injured reserve.
In fact, the latest update from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac on Saturday proposed the possibility of Harmon making his regular season debut during Week 2.
“Steelers have no intention of putting Harmon on IR and think it’s possible he will miss only one game,” tweeted Dulac.
This update came about 16 hours after Dulac reported Harmon could miss 4-6 weeks. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport called Harmon an injured reserve candidate on Friday.
Harmon suffered a knee injury during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin called the ailment “a knee sprain.”
Could Derrick Harmon Return for Steelers in Week 2?
When Dulac reported the first-round pick could miss 4-6 weeks, he clarified that still didn’t make Harmon a guarantee for injured reserve.
Harmon suffered his knee injury about two and a half weeks before the team’s regular season opener against the New York Jets. So, even with a 4-6 week recovery timeline, the Steelers are expecting the defensive lineman to return before the end of September.
“Because there are 16 days from the time of injury until the Sept. 7 opener, it is conceivable Harmon could miss only a couple games,” Dulac wrote on X on Friday night. “He is not expected to be placed on IR.”
If the Steelers placed Harmon on injured reserve, he would be required to miss four games. Because the Steelers have a Week 5 bye, with an IR stint, Harmon wouldn’t make his return until October 12.
If Harmon can return slightly before the 4-6 week time period, he would be back for Week 2 on September 14.
The Steelers selected the defensive lineman at No. 21 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. During the preseason, pundits projected Harmon to be Pittsburgh’s only starting defensive rookie in Week 1.
How Steelers Replace Harmon in Week 1
Dulac’s update is great news. But the fact Harmon is going to be out at least one game does remain.
In Week 1 versus the Jets, veteran Isaiahh Loudermilk could be a candidate to start in Harmon’s place. Logan Lee is another defensive lineman who could see more playing time without Harmon.
As a rookie, Harmon obviously doesn’t have any NFL regular season experience. But Loudermilk and Lee have their experience drawbacks as well.
Although he has appeared in 58 games over four seasons in Pittsburgh, Loudermilk hasn’t started a game since 2022. He played 222 defensive snaps for the Steelers last season.
A Pittsburgh sixth-round pick from 2024, Lee has never played in the NFL regular season.
The Steelers’ other second-team defensive lineman entering Week 3 of the preseason was veteran Daniel Ekuale. While the team listed him as a nose tackle and Harmon as a defensive end, Ekuale has versatility.
Ekuale started 16 games last season for the New England Patriots. According to Pro Football Focus, Ekuale split his snaps between defensive tackle and end last year.
The Steelers also have defensive linemen Yahya Black, Esezi Otomewo, Kyler Baugh and Domenique Davis remaining on their roster. That likely won’t be the case, though, when the team cuts its roster down to 53 players by 4 pm ET on Tuesday.
Black, a 2025 fifth-round pick for the Steelers, played very well in the team’s preseason finale.
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