Steelers' Mike Tomlin Announced They Will Now Be Without 1 Key Player Against The Jets

The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently preparing for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season to take on the New York Jets. Training camp and preseason are finally in the past, and it's time to practice for a real football game. Of course, that means injuries have to be taken into account, as merely resting for a tune-up exhibition game is no longer a thing. Early on, it may not be surprising to see some banged up players miss some time to make sure they are good to go for the long haul, though. 

During the first Tomlin Tuesday press conference of the season, Head Coach Mike Tomlin gave his first injury update of the season. He started off with the bad news regarding rookie Derrick Harmon, although it was a surprise to nobody. 

"Derrick Harmon is the only guy at this juncture that I would characterize as out," Tomlin said.

Back in the preseason, Harmon suffered an MCL sprain, although the Steelers must be impressed with his recovery so far. He was originally seen as a player that may have to be placed on Injured Reserve at the beginning of the season. However, he is now seen as week-to-week, and he might even be able to play in Week 2 for Pittsburgh's home opener. 

After that, Tomlin moved onto edge rusher Nick Herbig, who had been dealing with a soft tissue injury, as his update seemed promising.

"I would characterize [Nick] Herbig as questionable," Tomlin said. "He had a really good day yesterday, and so we'll leave the door ajar for him and see where his work leads us during the course of the week. Certainly, his participation and the quality of his participation will be the key variables in terms of our decision-making, whether we choose to use him or not."

Herbig has been working on the practice field a lot lately, although he has not been in uniform yet. If he were to miss time, then rookie edge rusher Jack Sawyer would be the primary rotational piece behind the two studs starting for the Steelers in TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. Soft tissue injuries are hard to gauge a timetable for, so it's safe to say that the training staff will keep a close eye on Herbig and his ability to use his deadly speed rush. 

Steelers Receive Some Good News As Well

Tomlin continued on to praise the overall health of the rest of the 53-man roster heading into Week 1.

"Other than those two instances, we're largely a healthy group," Tomlin said. "We certainly had some bumps and bruises associated with preseason work, and some people have been non-participants in games: some of it due to injury, and some of it due to precaution. Some of those guys have been working their way back. Alex Highsmith, for example, and others. We don't anticipate any of those guys' availabilities being in any way questionable. You can include Calvin Austin."

Highsmith has been dealing with another groin injury throughout preseason, but he previously broke his own news about being cleared to play. Having him back will be a massive boost to the defense, especially with Herbig being questionable and likely limited if he does play. If the Steelers want to get started off on the right foot, they need their edge rushers to keep Justin Fields contained in the pocket. 

With how little depth the Steelers have at the receiver position, having Calvin Austin III back at full strength is also huge for the offense. He is still listed as the starting WR2 on the initial depth chart, and he will get that kind of workload despite all the time he missed during training camp and preseason. Of course, everyone else on the team is also healthy and ready to go.

What do you think about the Steelers' Week 1 injury report? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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