Steelers' Concerning Silence On Injured Player Raises Alarming Questions

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had injuries start to pile up recently, but the hope is that reinforcements will come soon. Head Coach Mike McCarthy recently said everyone currently on Injured Reserve (IR) (that's not already season-ending) "has a chance" to come back. The main problem there is that there are numerous players currently on that list, and the timetable for each player is tricky.

McCarthy's remarks could also be his way of not giving out any sort of detailed information. Unlike his predecessor, Mike Tomlin, he does not like to reveal information about injured players. Many reports come from insiders or reading between the lines of what tiny bit of information that the new head coach gives out. Because of that, fans are left waiting for the practice report each day to see what's going on.

Even with McCarthy being tight-lipped, he will eventually drop a nugget here and there. In his weekly Q&A chat, insider Ray Fittipaldo spoke about how the coach is being even more quiet than normal about one player.

"We're due for a [Derrick] Harmon update," Fittipaldo said. "He has not been in the rehab group with the other injured players. Benton and Black played very well in Paris. Like the offensive line, you'd like to see more consistency, but they're young and growing."

Former first-round pick Derrick Harmon has not been seen or heard from since he got injured back in Week 4. He is eligible to be designated to return after Week 8 and have his 21-day window opened up during the bye week, but he has not even been working out with other players on IR. The silence and the fact that he hasn't been spotted publicly just raises a lot of questions.

Harmon suffered a foot injury on Thursday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns, as he was eventually carted off the field. Reports across the league said that this was not a long-term injury, and that he could be back "in a few weeks," with IR making it four weeks. Well, a few weeks have passed, and nobody has even seen him in rehab. That short-term issue may end up being a bigger problem than anyone is letting on. 

The good news for the Steelers is that they have a bye week after their upcoming Week 8 game, which gives Harmon more time to rest up and recover for the stretch run into the postseason. However, with how quiet everything is on his front, it seems like there is a very low chance that he suits up in Week 10. Pittsburgh will have to rely on its rookies for depth for the foreseeable future.

Steelers Have Exciting Youth Taking Opportunity To Shine

Fittipaldo also spoke about how he would like to see more consistency from the defensive line with Harmon and Sebastian Joseph-Day both rehabbing on IR. The pass rush has been lackluster, so it would be nice to see a little more push up the middle so the edge rushers and Jalen Ramsey on the slot blitz don't have to do everything in that regard. There is a sign of growth from this unit, though. 

Over the previous three weeks, the run defense has been elite. They shut down the likes of Jonathan Taylor and Bucky Irving with ease. Rookies Gabriel Rubio and Kevin Jobity Jr. have made their NFL debuts because of these injuries, and they have provided very stable depth while displaying amazing traits in their limited playing time. The pass rush could use more work, but the run defense is about as great as it can be.