Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Steelers Injury News – Rookie DT Derrick Harmon Carted Off against Panthers, but Avoids Season-Ending Injury

Harmon is most likely set to miss a few weeks but nothing more

Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Carolina Panthers last night in what was the last preseason game of the year for both teams. Despite coming out on top 19-10, the Steelers were more concerned with the injury sustained by rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.

As per the latest update, reports indicate that the Steelers’ first-round pick may have dodged a major scare, as he is likely to miss a few weeks of action at most while avoiding a season-ending injury.

Steelers first-round DT Derrick Harmon injured his knee tonight vs. Carolina and is out.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2025

Harmon Carted Off Following Knee Injury

On just the second series of the game, DT Derrick Harmon was trying to get to the quarterback on a pass play when he was spun and thrown to the ground, landing heavily on his right leg.

Visibly in clear pain after the fall, Harmon walked to the sidelines and entered the blue medical tent. Afterwards, he was taken to the locker rooms on a cart for further evaluation.

Pray for Derrick Harmon 💔🙏

The Steelers' rookie had to be carted off.pic.twitter.com/YReUZP6OLO
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 22, 2025

While the seriousness of the injury was unknown at the time, Steeler Nation was pleased to see him return to the sidelines and walking on his own later in the game. However, Harmon was seen in street clothes and did not partake in the remainder of the game.

The 21st overall pick of this year’s NFL draft was also seen in a much better mood as he was chatting and smiling with teammates Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt while they watched the game from the bench.

Steelers’ Backup Plan Following Harmon’s Injury

Pittsburgh drafted Harmon in the first round this year with the motive of playing him as a starter from the get-go. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are generally one of the most well-rounded defensive teams, and Harmon was fitting in nicely under Tomlin’s system.

The former Oregon Ducks player had been quite impressive during training camp and preseason. Learning from the likes of Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton, Harmon was making steady progress, which was reflected well in the preseason games.

WHEW! #Steelers Nation exhales. It appears Derrick Harmon is gonna be ok. Back on the sidelines in street clothes. Walking. pic.twitter.com/1CAd3Noi83
— David Todd (@DavidMTodd) August 22, 2025

Now that the rookie is set to miss at least a few weeks of action, the Steelers will have to turn to their other options, which include Isaiahh Loudermilk, Daniel Ekuale, or fifth-round rookie Yahya Black, who has also been impressive in training camp.

Nonetheless, Loudermilk is the current backup for Harmon, so there is a strong possibility that he starts in place of the rookie. Pittsburgh will, however, be waiting for more updates and would like to see their rookie on the field as soon as possible.

Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

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Derrick Harmon injury update

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!