Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton is dealing with an upper-body injury, according to Chris Halicke of DK Pittsburgh Sports. The injury comes after Derrick Harmon suffered an MCL sprain and is expected to miss Week 1.
Halicke says there is optimism that Benton will be ready for Week 1 against the New York Jets on September 7, but it is unknown just how much time he will miss.
If Harmon and Benton are out, the Steelers will be depleted along their defensive front for a Jets team that noticeably would like to run the football.
It seems the Steelers avoided the worst-case scenario with Harmon, who will end up likely being able to return for the home opener against the Seattle Seahawks after the sprained MCL.
Now in good spirits, the Steelers will already start the rehab plan with Harmon and hope to get back even sooner than that timeline if possible.
As for Benton, his injury is unknown, and the Steelers hope to have him for Week 1, even if it is in a rotational capacity rather than his usual starting role.
Benton was drafted out of Wisconsin with a reputation as a disruptive player but still needed to finish plays. It is now the third year he has to work on that, and if he can, Benton’s stats and impact on the game should go way up.
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