The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Derrick Harmon in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft and the expectation is he's going to play a key role on the defense in Year 1.
Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait for his NFL debut, as Harmon was ruled out for Week 1 due to a knee injury suffered in the final preseason game.
It was initially feared that Harmon had suffered a significant injury after he looked distraught while being carted off the field, but thankfully the rookie avoided that.
In the week leading up to the Week 1 contest against the New York Jets, Harmon did not practice at all before being officially ruled out on Friday, which was expected.
Here's what we know about a potential return timeline for Harmon.
Derrick Harmon injury update
Head coach Mike Tomlin characterized Harmon as week-to-week on Aug. 23, and that was two weeks ago. So, it's conceivable that Harmon could return to practice this week and possibly play in Week 2.
If not, Week 3 seems like the latest he'll return, barring a setback. Pittsburgh did not place Harmon on injured reserve to start the season, which means they expect his absence to be less than four games.
When it comes to replacing the young starter, Tomlin revealed it would "be a committee of people."
"It's going to be a committee of people," Tomlin said to reporters on Tuesday. "But I would imagine it would’ve been a committee of people if he were available."
That committee could include Daniel Ekuale, Logan Lee, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Esezi Otomewo and rookie Yahya Black, who shined during the preseason and could see significant snaps in his debut as a result.
Of course, Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton are the other starters upfront.
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