For Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, it isn’t next man up. It’s next men up to replace the snaps rookie DL Derrick Harmon would’ve logged had he been healthy for the start of the regular season. Ruled out with an MCL sprain suffered in the preseason finale, Tomlin outlined the team’s plan to fill his shoes Sunday against the New York Jets.
“It’s gonna be a committee of people,” Tomlin told reporters via the team’s YouTube channel during his Tuesday press conference.
Tomlin didn’t mention names but the suspects are easy to note. Veterans in Daniel Ekuale and Isaiahh Loudermilk. Youth in Logan Lee and rookie Yahya Black. Ekuale primarily played second-string nose tackle throughout training camp but picked up one snap at left defensive end in Pittsburgh’s base 3-4 after Harmon got hurt and played plenty of defensive end with the New England Patriots last season.
Loudermilk is a low-ceiling player but known commodity against the run. Black became a surprise of the summer and showed he’s worth playing no matter the health of the d-line room. Lee made the 53-man roster after spending his rookie season on injured reserve.
Not only will Harmon need to be replaced in the defense’s “Okie” packages, the team needs options to rotate with Keeanu Benton and Cam Heyward in sub-packages.
Even if Harmon was 100 percent, Tomlin said, the Steelers would’ve leaned on a rotation of people to play.
“I would imagine it’d have been a committee of people if he were available,” he told reporters. “We generally play a lot of d-lineman, particularly early in the season due to lack of conditioning and potential heat and so forth.”
Temperatures are expected to be 73 degrees Sunday in East Rutherford. Pittsburgh’s played in far hotter games. Still, for an NFL opener following a preseason with larger rosters and more rotations, fatigue is a factor. Harmon would have started, but the Steelers would’ve been mindful of his snap count.
No matter who assumes the role of Harmon’s replacement, Pittsburgh must stop the run. The Jets boast a two-headed attack in Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, two bigger and powerful backs. Chasing and containing QB Justin Fields will require a team effort, too. All factors that will test conditioning and require a healthy Rolodex of fresh legs.
With Harmon already ruled out for Week 1, his odds of playing in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks aren’t high. A Week 3 or Week 4 debut is more likely, meaning the Steelers will work deep into their defensive line depth chart in September.
