PITTSBURGH (AP) — Derrick Harmon knew his first preseason in the NFL was over the moment the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive tackle felt his right knee bend awkwardly underneath him early in the second quarter against Carolina.
As he was carted off the field Thursday night, the 21st overall pick in the draft feared his regular season might be in danger, too.
Turns out it's not.
After some anxious moments that left the 22-year-old near tears, an MRI revealed that Harmon is dealing with a sprain that coach Mike Tomlin characterized as “week to week.” Tomlin declined to speculate on whether the team will place Harmon on injured reserve, saying the club wasn't having those discussions yet.
That answer would indicate there's a chance Harmon, who played collegiately at Michigan State and Oregon, could return sometime in September.
“I thought it was serious, but it wasn’t that serious,” Harmon said Saturday. “But (it;s) still something I've got to be in the training room to get rehab on. And that’s what I’m going to focus on right now, just attack the rehab to get back on the field.”
Harmon said he initially tweaked the right knee on the previous play, a 1-yard run by Carolina's Raheem Blackshear. On the following snap, he shrugged off an initial block and was engaged with Panthers right tackle Branden Walton when his right foot briefly appeared to get caught, twisting his knee.
He feared the worst but was in a decidedly better mood a short time later when he made his way from the locker room to the Pittsburgh sideline.
“Once I got next to my teammates, they cheered me up,” Harmon said. “They told me to get out my head and that's why I was laughing like that (later). It just put me in good spirits (with) them telling me, ‘Man, you’re going to be OK.'”
Harmon has been impressive during his first training camp. He collected a sack in a Week 2 preseason victory over Tampa Bay and figured to be in position to make his first NFL start when Pittsburgh opens the season against the New York Jets on Sept. 7.
“It's definitely frustrating man, the last preseason game,” Harmon said. “And (I was) really excited to get out there in a regular season and compete at a high level. It sucks, but it’s part of the game we play.”
Tomlin declined to get into specifics on who might fill in while Harmon is out. Veteran Isaiahh Loudermilk and rookie Yahya Black figure to be the first options. Black picked up a sack early in the third quarter. The 6-foot-6, 335-pound Black celebrated by rubbing his stomach, which brought laughter from the sideline, Harmon included.
“That's a big belly,” Harmon said with a smile. “Both of the rookie (defensive tackles) got sacks in back-to-back games, so that's big.”
Tomlin described Black as “well-conditioned for a guy his size, it's a great place to start. He's a high-energy guy. He's a good communicator.”
Several other Steelers players are dealing with injuries as Tuesday's cutdown day nears. Tight end Jonnu Smith, wide receiver Calvin Austin III, safety Juan Thornhill and cornerback Cory Trice are working their way back.
“It's a really good time (to have them nearing a return),” Tomlin said. “The sand is running through the hourglass.”
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Derrick Harmon arrives for an NFL preseason football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
NAHARIYA, Israel (AP) — Israel’s government is objecting to the White House announcement of leaders who will play a role in overseeing next steps in Gaza as the ceasefire moves into its challenging second phase.
The rare criticism from Israel of its close ally in Washington said the Gaza executive committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy,” without details. Saturday's statement also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the foreign ministry to contact Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The committee announced by the White House on Friday includes no Israeli official but has an Israeli businessman, billionaire Yakir Gabay. Other members announced so far include two of U.S. President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, a former British prime minister, a U.S. general and representatives of several Middle Eastern governments.
The White House has said the executive committee will carry out the vision of a Trump-led “Board of Peace,” whose members have not yet been named. The White House also announced the members of a new Palestinian committee to run Gaza’s day to day affairs, with oversight from the executive committee. The Palestinian committee met for the first time on Thursday in Cairo.
The executive committee’s members include Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Trump’s Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel.
Committee members also include a diplomat from Qatar, an intelligence chief from Egypt and Turkey’s foreign minister — all countries have been ceasefire mediators — as well as a Cabinet minister for the United Arab Emirates.
Turkey has a strained relationship with Israel but good relations with Hamas and could play an important role in persuading the group to yield power and disarm. Hamas has said it will dissolve its government in Gaza once the new Palestinian committee takes office, but it has shown no sign that it will dismantle its military wing or security forces.
Netanyahu's office didn't respond Saturday to questions about its objections regarding the executive committee.
Minutes after its statement, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in a statement backed Netanyahu and urged him to order the military to prepare to return to war. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, another far-right Netanyahu ally, said on social media that “the countries that kept Hamas alive cannot be the ones that replace it."
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second-largest militant group after Hamas, in a statement Saturday also expressed dissatisfaction with the makeup of the Gaza executive committee and claimed it reflected Israeli “specifications.”
The Trump administration on Wednesday said the U.S.-drafted ceasefire plan for Gaza was now moving into its second phase, which includes the new Palestinian committee in Gaza, deployment of an international security force, disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction of the war-battered territory.
The ceasefire in the deadliest war ever fought between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct. 10. The first phase focused on the return of all remaining hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees, along with a surge in humanitarian aid and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza.
The war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took over 250 hostage. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 71,400 Palestinians, including over 460 since this ceasefire began, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
Associated Press writer Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed.
Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Displaced Palestinian Amr Al-Manaya, 35, sits by the fire with his children, Muhammad and Hala, next to their tent in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A displaced Palestinian boy runs past empty water barrels as residents wait for a drinking water delivery in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Displaced Palestinians gather outside a tent at a temporary camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Displaced Palestinian Amr Al-Manaya, 35, sits by the fire with his children, next to their tent in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
