Derrick Harmon, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round selection preparing for a baptism of fire in his rookie season. He’s now fighting through an MCL sprain he suffered last week in the preseason finale. Taken 21st overall back in April, Harmon revealed early on that he was afraid the injury was a significant one. He is still waiting to hear whether he will have to undergo surgery. At this stage, he is listed as “week-to-week,” which fits the expected recovery timetable from Coach Mike Tomlin.
The time came late in the first half of a specific play where Harmon got blasted in the knee, which resulted in him having to walk off crutches. Despite the setback, he returned to the sidelines by the fourth quarter, sharing light moments with teammates Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt. Looking back on the ordeal, Harmon says he underestimated the seriousness of the injury.
Little did I know at the time, of what it was. That’s why I was so caught up in that cycle and atmosphere. He said.
As a former defensive tackle, Harmon made himself impossible to dislodge from a starting role along the defensive line during training camp. Today, he is excited about his opportunity to have a big impact in his rookie season. Above all, he hated the timing of the injury. After an extremely successful Oman training camp, he knew he was coming into this season with incredible form.
Last preseason and very, very, very excited to get out there in a regular season and compete at a high level. It really sucks, but that’s just the game we’re all playing here. So just got to attack this rehab, Harmon stated.
Luckily, the season opener is only two weeks away. There is hope that Harmon will avoid the dreaded short-term injured reserve. He’s got an eye on rehabilitation and how to stay positive through this recovery process.
The most important message I think the Steelers want to send to me is to honestly just not overthink things too much, man, Harmon explained. He highlighted the need to remain mentally sharp as injuries often make that difficult.
Injury is inherent in this game and at this level is inherent in what we do. So just trying to stay optimistic and keep myself mentally prepared and mentally locked in,” he went on.
Harmon admitted that building camaraderie with his fellow teammates has been an important factor in helping him deal with everything. I was still in that head space, but as soon as I got next to my teammates, they lifted my spirits bro. They said get out of your head and that’s what they really saying to me. So that’s why I was laughing like that,” he said.
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