PITTSBURGH — Ryan Clark will be back. Maybe James Harrison too.

Still, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin thinks the two veteran defenders are hardly the cure-all for a defense that lacked a certain bite during Sunday’s season-opening loss at Denver.

Yes, it’ll be great to have Clark — who sat out the opener due to a sickle cell trait that flares up at high altitude — back for the home opener against the Jets. And Harrison’s aching left knee was good enough to work out on Monday, leaving open the possibility the four-time Pro Bowler could suit up for the first time since January.

Good news to be sure. Just not a cure-all.

“Obviously, those guys are capable of helping us,” Tomlin said. “They’re quality veteran players. They know how to play and, specifically in Ryan’s case, not only his play but his communication and leadership. That remains to be seen and we’re not going to assume anything. What we are going to do is focus on the healthy guys and get them prepared to play and, ultimately, expect them to play on the acceptable level.”

Something Tomlin thinks didn’t happen enough against the Broncos, as Pittsburgh’s defense — ranked No. 1 in yards against a year ago — struggled once Peyton Manning and the Broncos went to a no-huddle offense.

Tomlin, however, doesn’t think the no-huddle “taxed” the Steelers so much as what happened when the ball was in play. Denver’s offensive line controlled Pittsburgh’s front seven in the second half, giving Manning all the time he needed to throw for 253 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

“The reality is that we didn’t play well enough post-snap,” Tomlin said. “Forget about whether or not they huddle between plays, we’ve got full control over how we play once the ball is snapped and it wasn’t up to snuff in many instances.”