Steelers DL Chris Wormley to Have Knee Surgery

PITTSBURGH — The knee injury that Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Chris Wormley suffered against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday will require surgery, head coach Mike Tomlin said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Tomlin did not get into the specifics of Wormley’s exact diagnosis and the length of time that he will be out, but he did rule Wormley out for this Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

“Chris Wormley has a knee injury that’s going to require surgery, so he will be out,” Tomlin said.

Wormley exited Sunday’s loss to the Ravens — his former team — in the third quarter. The Steelers announced soon afterward that he would not be returning to the game. He was seen wearing a brace on his knee and using crutches on Monday at the team facility.

With just four gamers left to play, surgery will likely cuts short Wormley’s third season in black and gold. He posted half a sack before getting hurt against Baltimore, the first time he’d gotten in that statistical column this year.

Wormley started 14 games for Pittsburgh a year ago, posting 51 total tackles, seven sacks, and a forced fumble. As a Steeler, he’s turned in 88 tackles in all, 45 of which were solo stops.

He came to the Steel City after three seasons with the Ravens, who took him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Rookie defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal was activated from the injured reserve on Dec. 3. He saw 26 snaps split between defensive and special teams duties over the previous two outings. Behind veteran Larry Ogunjobi on the depth chart, he figures to see at least a little more time on the field.

The other healthy defensive linemen behind nose tackle Montravius Adams and defensive end Cam Heyward are Tyson Alualu and Isaiahh Loudermilk.