It may be early in the 2025-26 season, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have already been paid a visit by the injury bug multiple times. As Mike Tomlin’s crew prepares for a Week 3 outing against the New England Patriots, it appears to have happened once again.
Per a September 17 report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, offensive lineman Max Scharping sustained a knee injury. It occurred during Wednesday’s practice, which saw Scharping be listed as a limited participant.
Steelers OL Max Scharping Has Knee Injury Steelers ‘Fear’ is Significant
Sources: Steelers interior OL Max Scharping suffered a knee injury during today’s practice and the fear is that it’s significant,” Rapoport’s tweet began. “He’ll have an MRI to confirm the severity. A tough reality for a key depth piece for Pittsburgh.”
If Scharping’s injury is indeed significant, this is a massive blow for the Steelers. While Scharping isn’t a starter, he has plenty of experience along the offensive line. He’s a crucial depth piece for the Black and Yellow, currently listed as the backup to Mason McCormick at right guard.
Scharping, a former second-round pick by the Houston Texans, found his way to Pittsburgh last season. Playing in two games for the Steelers, he’s spent most of his time a reserve. General manager Omar Khan poached him from the Washington Commanders‘ practice squad. Scharping then re-signed with the club back in April, insulating the roster ahead of training camp.
During the 2025 preseason, Scharping played a whopping 138 snaps. In those reps, he posted a respectable 61.6 Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade. He surrendered just one quarterback pressure and logged a 99.4 efficiency grade. The latter marked a new personal best for his preseason career. He was inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 of this season.
Since entering the league, Scharping has appeared in 81 regular-season games. Thirty-three of those were starts, all coming with Houston over the course of his rookie contract. Now, the viable backup is on the shelf following an injury the Steelers will hope turns out to be less severe than expected.
Updated Look at Pittsburgh’s Injury Picture Entering Week 3 Game
Unfortunately, this is just another injury in what’s been a long list of them for the Steelers. They came into the regular season at less than 100%, which has only been exacerbated over time.
Wednesday’s injury report from practice brought a mixed bag of situations. Linebacker Patrick Queen was a full participant despite an oblique injury suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Elsewhere, rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon returned to practice and was limited. Even with that designation, the first-round pick believes he’ll be ready to soon make his debut after a preseason knee injury.
Five players were non-participants in Wednesday’s practice. Two of them — cornerback Darius Slay and pass rusher T.J. Watt — simply had veteran rest days. That leaves the trio of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring), safety DeShon Elliott (knee) and linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle) as DNP candidates.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Tomlin dove into each respective injury with greater detail. It’s clear that several players have a ways to go before getting back in the lineup. If the same rings true for Scharping, it’ll be an unfortunate development for a banged-up Steelers squad early in the year.
Steelers Get Scary Injury News on Veteran Offensive Piece: Report