The Pittsburgh Steelers resumed practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Saturday as they prepare for the regular season, which begins in just over two weeks. Coach Mike Tomlin addressed several injury updates following the team’s preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.
Tomlin confirmed that rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon suffered a sprained knee during the game. “Like I said after the game, it’s a sprain,” said Tomlin. “It can be characterized as week-to-week.”
Nickelback Beanie Bishop, who did not play against Carolina, is also dealing with an unspecified issue. Tomlin described Bishop’s status as “day-to-day.”
On a positive note, multiple players returned to practice after missing time during training camp and preseason games. Among those back on the field were receiver Calvin Austin III, tight end Jonnu Smith, and safety Juan Thornhill.
“Really good catch-all day for us here today,” said Tomlin. “We looked at the film from our last performance, but not with the lens that we looked at the previous games. Really, it’s time for us to move on, but there are some lessons to be learned. Ball search, ball security lessons, tight red zone lessons, possession down lessons, penalty lessons, certainly. Got a lot of meat on the penalty bone. Room for improvement in that space.
“But it is good to get back out here. We’ve got a good couple of days ahead of us, including today. Working on things such as football conditioning, communication, both verbal and non-verbal, skills relative to our positions, situational ball. It’s kind of our focus.
“It’s good to get some guys working their way back to us. We have some guys that have been limited in their participation and less so today. Guys like Calvin Anderson, Calvin Austin, Jonnu (Smith), (Cory) Trice, Juan (Thornhill) and Donte Kent. We’re getting a lot of guys working their way back to us. And obviously, it’s the appropriate time. The sand’s running through the hourglass. And so, really good day’s work. Excited about this block of days that we have.”
With Harmon’s recovery considered week-to-week and his availability uncertain for the start of the season against the New York Jets, Tomlin indicated that decisions regarding his replacement at defensive end will be made closer to game time.
“We’re not ready to talk about those things,” said Tomlin. “I see no need to. We’re very much still in development. I’ll start talking about depth chart issues at the appropriate time on game week.”
Rookie Yahya Black has drawn attention following his two-sack performance against Carolina and could see more playing time if Harmon remains sidelined.
“He appears to be well conditioned for a guy his size, (which) is a great place to start,” said Tomlin. “He’s a high energy guy. He’s a good communicator. He’s got a good foundational base along those lines.”
Fans interested in watching live local and primetime regular season Steelers games can access coverage through NFL+, which provides streaming options for mobile devices along with NFL RedZone and NFL Network content.
