Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was reportedly diagnosed with a sprained MCL after injuring his knee in Thursday night’s preseason game vs. the Carolina Panthers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Harmon is expected to be out “about a month, which makes him a candidate to begin the year on IR (injured reserve),” Rapoport added.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that Harmon suffered the sprained knee during Thursday’s final preseason game after the rookie big man out of Oregon had to be carted to the locker room midway through the second quarter.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported Harmon was “in tears with a towel over his head as he rode on the back of a cart to the locker room. However, Harmon walked back onto the Steelers sideline and sat on the bench in the second half.
If the Steelers do put Harmon on IR to open the 2025 season, he’ll be unavailable for the first four weeks but would be eligible to return by Week 5, which is Pittsburgh’s bye week, potentially providing the former Oregon defensive lineman a grace period in his rehab.
Pittsburgh put some quality draft capital into Harmon, selecting him with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The hope is he can become a quality player in the middle of the defensive line, continuing a great tradition within the Steelers organization.
This comes after a quality career in the collegiate ranks. Most recently, with the Oregon Ducks and helping them win the Big Ten. Before then, Harmon played for the Michigan State Spartans before entering the NCAA transfer portal. The move ultimately paid off, recording 45 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, and five sacks — all of which were career highs.
Cam Heyward ends hold-in with Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward has returned to practicing fully with the team, ending his hold-in. It had been two weeks since Heyward practiced in pads or joined the team for the full extent of practice as he seeks a new contract, but that changed Tuesday according to coach Mike Tomlin.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported that there has still not been any progress made toward a new contract for Heyward. Heyward received $13.45 million of his $14.75 million in compensation for 2025 via a roster bonus, and he is under contract for $14.5 million for the 2026 season. Most of that deal is also set to come as a roster bonus with none of it being guaranteed.
Heyward’s current deal pays an average of $14.5 million per year, which puts him at 22nd among defensive tackles and 36th among all defensive linemen. He issued a formal request to the front office to renegotiate the deal in February and began sitting out of practice around two weeks ago on Aug. 7.
— On3’s Griffin McVeigh and Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.
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