Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — With Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon ruled out for Sunday’s season opener against the New York Jets, head coach Mike Tomlin said there will be a committee approach to interior defensive lineman. Isaiahh Loudermilk, Daniel Ekuale, and Yahya Black are listed as the second team.
“It’s going to be a committee of people but I’d imagine it would be a committee of people if he were available,” Tomlin said. “We generally play a lot of D-lineman, particularly early in the season due to lack of condition and potential heat and so forth. Not only us, but I just think globally speaking this time of year most teams play a lot of bigs upfront defensively, so that fatigue doesn’t become a factor, particularly down the stretch of a football game.”
Harmon, a defensive tackle and the No. 21 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was injured during the Steelers’ final preseason game, at Carolina. He was carted off the field in Charlotte, prompting concern about how long he’d be out for. It ended up not being as bad as it could’ve been.
“Thankfully as we sit here today and, really, just based on the structure of the preseason and how it’s set up, it’s done so that we all get an opportunity to move into the season as healthy as possible,” Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference. “Not having a game last week, obviously, last weekend, helps that. Derrick Harmon is the only guy at this juncture that I will characterize as ‘out.’”
Black in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after landing defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in the first round.
Steelers rookie defensive lineman Yahya Black had a preseason to remember, racking up six tackles, two for a loss, two sacks, one quarterback hit and one forced fumble over the past three weeks. Black should get plenty of playing time on Sunday.
Tomlin also believes veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward will take the field against the Jets on Sunday.
Heyward has practiced the past two weeks after holding in for a good bit of training camp, waiting for a new deal. Heyward left some doubt as to whether he’d play on the latest episode of his podcast.
“I’m certainly expecting Cam to play,” Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference. “Cam doesn’t play a lot in team development over the last several years. My job is to get him in and out of Latrobe — and I’ve done my job. And so, there are no reservations about his participation or his readiness. I’m sure he’s chomping at the bit.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Reveals Plan to Replace Derrick Harmon vs. Jets
