Steelers Now
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Derrick Harmon will make his Pittsburgh Steelers regular-season debut on Sunday. The first-round draft pick wasn’t included on the team’s inactives list ahead of its Week 3 road matchup with the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The rookie defensive tackle returned to practice on Wednesday, which was the first time he was back in uniform since suffering a sprained MCL in the Steelers’ final preseason game. He’ll be called upon to help bolster the middle of the team’s defense against Drake Maye and company.
“I’m ready to go,” Harmon said Wednesday. “If my number is called, I’m ready to go. … It’s been tough, Your first year you want to be out there. First game, first few games not being out there to help the team, it hurts.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin labeled Harmon as questionable to play during his weekly Tuesday press conference. He added that Harmon’s work and health were both improving, but wanted to make a decision based on how his week of practice looked.
“We’ll watch them throughout the week,” Tomlin said. “We’ll certainly gauge their participation and the quality of participation, and particularly the younger the player, the more significant that is. Harmon, obviously, would be stepping into his first regular-season action. And so there’s a higher standard in terms of his availability. I think that’s appropriate in terms of putting him in position to perform and to perform well.”
The Steelers allowed the fifth-most rushing yards (299) in the NFL over the first two weeks of the campaign. Harmon’s fellow defensive tackle, Isaiahh Loudermilk, is dealing with a high ankle sprain and was ruled out earlier in the week.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers’ Derrick Harmon to Make Regular Season Debut vs. Patriots
