The Steelers were back to work on Saturday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, getting in some bonus work with the preseason now in the rearview mirror and the regular season a little over two weeks away.
Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about rookie No. 1 pick Derrick Harmon, who suffered a sprained knee in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night, and the update was the same as what he shared postgame.
"Like I said after the game, it's a sprain," said Tomlin. "It can be characterized as week-to-week."
Another player who Tomlin was asked about from an injury standpoint was nickelback Beanie Bishop, who didn't play against the Panthers. Tomlin acknowledged Bishop is dealing with 'something' and it can be characterized as 'day-to-day.'
Tomlin delivered some good news, with multiple players returning to the field after missing time during training camp and the preseason. Included in that group 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 considered week-to-week, the plan at his starting defensive end position has yet to be determined, and likely won't be clear until closer to the start of the regular season opener against the New York Jets.
"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."
With Harmon injured, one player who is getting some attention is fellow rookie Yahya Black, who had two sacks against the Panthers.
"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."
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