Derrick Harmon Injury: What we know now after the Steelers Week 3 preseason game
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished their preseason with a 19-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, and it capped off a 2-1 preseason for the black-and-gold. But that wasn’t the biggest story coming from the game in Charlotte, that would have been the injury to 1st Round pick Derrick Harmon.
With the fan base concerned about Harmon’s injury, it’s important to keep you updated with the latest injury news and notes. So, here we will have a timeline for what we know up to this point.
Initial Injury
Harmon is out of the tent and is being taken from the field on a cart. https://t.co/zy2wPyAUyT
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) August 21, 2025
Early Reaction
Derrick Harmon on the cart and didn't look happy headed to the locker room. That could be a disaster for the #Steelers. He's looked very good in camp.
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) August 21, 2025
I’m gonna be sick: An emotional Derrick Harmon being carted off the field. Please please don’t let it be serious. Ugh. pic.twitter.com/566Ll5CJid
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) August 21, 2025
Official Diagnosis In-Game
#Steelers DT Derrick Harmon sustained a knee injury and is out for the rest of tonight's game.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) August 22, 2025
In-Game Updates
Derrick Harmon smiling and laughing on the bench with Cam Heyward and TJ Watt. Looks like the Steelers dodged a serious injury.
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) August 22, 2025
Mike Tomlin Post-Game Update
Mike Tomlin says that Derrick Harmon has a 'knee sprain of some description' and is being evaluated.
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) August 22, 2025
Post-Game Insider Report
No. 1 pick Derrick Harmon has a knee sprain and will have an MRI tomorrow in Pittsburgh. His injury is not season-ending but he is expected to be out at least a couple weeks, per sources.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) August 22, 2025
At this point, this is what we know regarding Harmon’s injury, and he is expected to have further evaluation when the team returned to Pittsburgh Friday. When anything new comes out, we will update the story to keep you up-to-date on the latest with Harmon’s knee injury.
The best-case scenario is the sprain is considered minor, and some rest will have him ready to go for Week 1 when the team travels to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Jets. The worst-case scenario very well could be Harmon will miss several weeks, and will have the debut of his rookie season delayed until later in the regular season.
A lot can change in a very short amount of time with injuries like this, but the fact Harmon was permitted to walk back out to the bench, without a huge bulky brace and/or crutches, and it was labeled as a “sprain” and not a “serious” injury is good news.
Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the New York Jets in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season.
Harmon out there dodging the injury bullet like Neo in the Matrix…
Very welcome news! Get well soon big guy!
Mr. Miyagi hooked him up in the locker room.
Seriously though, I’m gonna keep holding my breath until the MRI comes back.
I had an MCL sprain about 20 years ago. I don’t know how severe it was in relation to Harmon’s knee but I can tell you I wasn’t walking halfway around a football field afterwards. I was in serious pain and didn’t get any real relief until the next day when I was fitted for a brace and given a crutch. The pain was almost worth it when I came home to my then wife, now ex-wife, who was all ready to continue telling me to suck it up because I wasn’t really hurt. Driving a car with a sprained MCL is excruciating. Thankfully, it was my right knee and not my left because I had a manual transmission car at the time.