Steelers DT Derrick Harmon to return to practice after missing 2 games with knee injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers could be welcoming back one of the key members of their depleted defensive line.

Rookie Derrick Harmon is scheduled to return to practice this week after missing the past two games because of a knee injury, coach Mike Tomlin said during his weekly news conference Tuesday.

Taken by the Steelers in April with the No. 21 overall draft pick, Harmon also missed the first two games of the season because of a separate knee injury. Tomlin said Harmon would be limited in the early part of a practice week that is pushed back by a day because the Steelers’ next game is on Monday night, a home meeting with the Miami Dolphins.

“We’ll let the amount of (Harmon’s practice) participation and how quickly it picks up and the quality of that participation as we go through the week to determine whether or not he’s available (against Miami),” Tomlin said. “Certainly excited about an additional day as it pertains to him.”

Tomlin scheduled an off day Wednesday in lieu of an extra “bonus” practice ahead of a Monday game.

In the four games Harmon has not played this season, the Steelers have allowed an average of 191.3 rushing yards. When Harmon has played, opponents have been limited to roughly half of that — 96.0 rushing yards per game.

“He’s a first rounder,” Tomlin said. “That’s why you draft first rounders. He’s really talented.”

Dugger also might return

Another starter who Tomlin says “certainly has got a chance this week to come back from his hand injury” is Kyle Dugger. The veteran safety did not play in this past Sunday’s win at the Baltimore Ravens.

As is his unofficial policy, Tomlin declined to speculate on the status of players in NFL concussion protocol, of which this week the Steelers have three who left the victory against the Ravens: fill-in left tackle Andrus Peat, inside linebacker Malik Harrison and tight end Darnell Washington.

Peat was the third left tackle to play in a three-game span; Broderick Jones (neck) is on injured reserve and Calvin Anderson (knee) is out again this week. Fourth-string Dylan Cook remains on the practice squad but is the next man up if Peat is not cleared.

Tomlin said cornerback James Pierre (calf) and wide receiver Ben Skowronek (finger) will be limited at practice early in the week but should be able to play against the Dolphins.

Metcalf ‘fine’

Tomlin said that No. 1 receiver DK Metcalf is “moving in the right direction” after a stomach ailment compelled the team to leave him behind a night in Baltimore instead of taking off on the team plane home.

Metcalf got evaluated at a Baltimore hospital but was released and returned to Pittsburgh on Monday.

“I don’t think it’s going to jeopardize his (game) availability at all, but it certainly may jeopardize his availability at the early portions of the week from a practice standpoint,” Tomlin said. “But thankfully, he’s fine. I’m appreciative of our medical staff and how quickly they acted in making sure that he was safe and taking care of him post-game.”

Tomlin said Metcalf sustained a hit in the abdominal area and during the game was given some over-the-counter stomach remedies.

“Like Pepto, or something like that,” Tomlin said. “(The pain) got probably progressively worse after the game, and so I’m appreciative of our medical experts. We just exercised an abundance of precaution. We didn’t want to get him in the air without having a complete understanding about what he was dealing with, and they did a good job of that.”