The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 preseason is in the books. Now roster cuts will begin to come in waves as the team makes difficult decisions on its 53-man roster. Too many players failed to show up and make a case for themselves during the preseason, but the biggest loser is obvious. It's Derrick Harmon.
This isn't because of what Harmon did on the field. Quite the opposite. Harmon flashed with nimble feet and stopping power. His highlight play of the preseason was a terrific bull rush against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that resulted in an impressive sack.
But in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, everything came crashing down.
In the second quarter, after the Steelers had pulled many of their initial starters from the game, Harmon remained on the field on defense. That's when he went down with a scary knee injury.
Trying to get after the quarterback, the Steelers' first-round pick went down, clutching his knee. Harmon hobbled off the field and quickly made his way to the cart, where he was taken into the locker room for further evaluation.
Derrick Harmon's significant injury makes him the biggest loser of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 preseason
Derrick Harmon was labeled as a starting defensive lineman entering training camp, and the first-round pick was set to play an integral role for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. Unfortunately, Harmon's knee injury is a significant blow not only to the team but also to his future development.
Anytime a young, raw rookie suffers an injury and spends time rehabbing rather than seeing the field, it's a terrible sign for their development that puts them behind the learning curve. When the Steelers selected the one-year wonder out of Oregon, we knew that he was going to be a work in progress. This doesn't help.
Thankfully, Harmon was able to rejoin his teammates on the bench late in the fourth quarter after getting evaluated. After the Pittsburgh Steelers found a way to stay healthy all through training camp and the preseason, it was the most important rookie on the team who suffered the biggest injury scare.
Following the game, head coach Mike Tomlin offered an update on Harmon and explained that it's some sort of knee sprain for the rookie. Steelers fans can breathe a sigh of relief after dodging a bullet, but Harmon could still miss time with the injury.
Suffering an injury of any type in a meaningless preseason finale is the last thing we wanted to see.