The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense is struggling in every conceivable way, but the injuries plaguing the unit may be the most frustrating aspect of it.
Six true starters are dealing with injuries heading into Week 3, with Alex Highsmith being the only one of the bunch ruled out. Still, Derrick Harmon, Joey Porter, Jr., and DeShon Elliott are all questionable to play against the New England Patriots this Sunday.
The only other defender ruled out for this weekend’s game is Isaiahh Loudermilk, who has helped fill in for the defensive line in Harmon’s absence. He suffered a high ankle sprain against the Seattle Seahawks and has now been placed on Injured Reserve.
With Isaiahh Loudermilk headed to IR, his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers is in doubt
Loudermilk will be eligible to return from IR after four weeks, but a lot can happen in a month. First things first, to come off of IR, Loudermilk will have to be ready to play within three weeks; otherwise, his stay on the list is extended through the remainder of the season.
To that end, it’s certainly possible that Loudermilk has played his last game in a Steelers uniform. Loudermilk returned to play his fifth season in Pittsburgh by signing a one-year, $1.63 million contract.
So far this season, Loudermilk hasn’t been particularly productive. He’s played 37 snaps, roughly 30 percent of the defensive snaps through the first two weeks, and he hasn’t recorded a statistic of any kind. Technically, according to Pro Football Reference, Loudermilk was the starter for both games in place of Harmon.
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His Pro Football Focus grades don’t provide him much defense. While PFF does credit him with a pressure and a hurry, his 32.8 overall grade ranks 156th out of 159 eligible players on the interior defensive line.
With Harmon set to return soon and the growth of Yahya Black, there may not be space for Loudermilk if he is able to come off the IR in the coming months. In the meantime, more opportunities will come to Logan Lee and Daniel Ekuale as well, so the Steelers could find more production in their defensive line depth if either can stand out with extra snaps.
Before the Steelers drafted Black in the fifth round this spring, Loudermilke was the team’s most recent fifth-round pick from the abysmal 2021 draft class. He and tight end Pat Freiermuth are the only players from that class who are still on the Steelers roster.
If the 2025 season doesn’t turn around in Loudermilk’s favor in the coming months, it could be down to just Freiermuth after the season comes to an end.