The New England Patriots are signing former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison, according to a Tuesday evening report by Field Yates of ESPN.
Harrison, who was waived by the Steelers on Saturday to make room for tackle Marcus Gilbert on the 53-man roster, ultimately went unclaimed on Monday and then proceeded to visit with the Patriots on Tuesday.
During the 14 games that Harrison was on the Steelers roster this season he played all of 40 defensive snaps and was on the team’s inactive list for several contests.
Harrison will likely be used as a situational pass rusher with the Patriots, who are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Patriots will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over the New York Jets this coming Sunday in a game that will be played at Gillette Stadium.
This now sets up for an intriguing storyline during the playoffs should the Steelers and Patriots ultimately play each other in the AFC Championship game.
A few weeks ago, Harrison let it be known that he wouldn’t have re-signed with the Steelers this past offseason had he known he ultimately wouldn’t have played much during the 2017 regular season.
Harrison essentially became a spectator for the Steelers after the team drafted T.J. Watt in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
