Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed during his Tuesday press conference that rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon (knee) will be out for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
Tomlin said Harmon suffered the knee injury during Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears and battled through it. Harmon wasn’t mentioned in Tomlin’s injury report after the game, so the news comes as a surprise.
Tomlin said Harmon’s injury is separate from the knee injury that he sustained in the preseason finale that forced him to miss the first two games of the regular season. He said he doesn’t know if the injured knee is the same one as the one that was previously injured.
Harmon, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had a slow start to the season. However, he has since proven to be more than worth the No. 21 overall selection.
Since returning from his injury, Harmon has recorded 22 tackles, two sacks, one fumble recovery and one pass defended. He’s also been one of the best interior defensive lineman at pressuring the quarterback.
Harmon had similar success during his collegiate career at Michigan State (2021-23) and Oregon (2024), racking up 114 tackles, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and four passes defensed during the span. His play seems to be translating quite well at the next level, too.
Fellow rookie defensive lineman Yahya Black and Brodric Martin-Rhodes will fill in for Harmon on Sunday.
Black made his first career start in the base defense against the New England Patriots in Week 3 after Isaiahh Loudermilk went down with a season-ending injury.
Black, who was selected from Iowa, has shown strong ability in his rookie campaign. After a stellar preseason, he has been in the rotation throughout his rookie season. Black had a forced fumble and recovery on Bears running back D’Andre Swift in Sunday’s game.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Rule Out Defensive Starter vs. Bills
