PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers will be without two starters in left tackle Broderick Jones and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.
Coach Mike Tomlin said at his weekly news conference Tuesday his offensive lineman sustained a neck injury, initially diagnosed as a stinger, in the loss to the Bears, while Harmon is dealing with a knee injury also suffered in the game.
Jones was injured with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter as quarterback Mason Rudolph rolled out. Jones jumped in front of Rudolph to protect him from defensive end Dominique Robinson. As Robinson jumped in an attempt to bat Rudolph's pass, Jones put his head down and into Robinson's chest to keep him away. Then, as Robinson fell, he appeared to pull Jones down by the face mask, and the offensive tackle landed awkwardly. Jones exited the game and didn't return.
Swing tackle Calvin Anderson replaced him for the rest of the game, and Tuesday, Tomlin said both Anderson and versatile offensive lineman Andrus Peat, a former first-round pick, will take reps as the first-team left tackle.
"There's a guy that has a résumé that started wire-to-wire that came into this league as a first-rounder, and so certainly he has a different profile than Calvin," Tomlin said of Peat. "We like both guys. Both guys are veteran professionals who have a certain level of preparedness and maturity that they bring to the work every day. And so we're going to prepare both guys, and we'll have more clarity as we get close to the game time."
Though Harmon, the Steelers' 2025 first-round pick, was also injured Sunday, he finished the game. Tomlin said the injury popped up Monday, and it's unrelated to the MCL sprain Harmon sustained in the preseason that caused him to miss the first two weeks of the season. Tomlin said he didn't know if Harmon's latest injury was to the same knee.
With Harmon sidelined, the Steelers will turn to fellow rookie Yahya Black, who had a forced fumble and fumble recovery against the Bears.
"Really encouraged by his growth, man, and I think his playtime is kind of reflective of that," Tomlin said of Black. "We like our young D-linemen and we've acquired a new one in Broderic [Martin-Rhodes], and so sometimes guys will get an opportunity. One man's misfortune is another man's opportunity, and so we're encouraged by the depth that we have the position."
While the Steelers will definitely be without Harmon and Jones, Tomlin said he had "great optimism" about the return of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who missed Sunday's game in Chicago as he continued to recover from a fractured left wrist.
"Aaron, obviously, man worked his tail off to get to us last week, but as I mentioned over the course of the weekend, it was a prudent and appropriate decision," Tomlin said. "We'll start this week with great optimism, although we certainly will limit him at the early portions of the week, [which will] provide opportunities for the other quarterbacks while preserving him.
"We're comfortable with the general trajectory, but I'll keep you updated and his level of participation and the quality of his participation over the course of the week would be the greatest indicator."
Leading up to the Bears game, Rodgers missed Wednesday's practice but was a limited participant on Thursday and Friday. Tomlin said he made the decision to hold Rodgers out and start Rudolph on Saturday. Tomlin declined to say if he would operate under a similar timeline to determine this week's starter.
Along with Rodgers, edge rusher Alex Highsmith, Joey Porter Jr., DK Metcalf and Ben Skowronek will be limited in practice early in the week, and their participation will dictate their availability for Sunday's crucial meeting with the Bills.