Player: ILB Malik Harrison
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: Rather than re-sign Elandon Roberts, the Steelers elected to bring in Malik Harrison. This is the move outside of the quarterback position that has faced the most scrutiny, at least from fans. While they have Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, the Steelers prefer a three-linebacker system. Whether Harrison can adequately fill that third role remains to be seen, but they seem to believe he can.
Did the Steelers upgrade their interior defense by signing Malik Harrison at the expense of bringing back Elandon Roberts? That’s a topic fans have debated, but the Steelers certainly found a younger player. Harrison is like Roberts in many aspects of their style of play, but less polished, perhaps more versatile.
We don’t know exactly how the Steelers envision using Malik Harrison, but the Ravens did use him to set the edge at times. I’m sure they will ask him to do some of that here, and perhaps even use three inside linebackers together. What I don’t see is them viewing him as depth for T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, as some beat writers have suggested.
No, Harrison is more or less a one-for-one replacement for Roberts for the Steelers. He will step into that two-down linebacker room, though the exact timeshare is probably not yet determined. I’m sure if they had their choice, the Steelers would take an every-down Payton Wilson. But he has to earn that role, even with a promising rookie season under his belt.
The Steelers’ chief rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, drafted Malik Harrison in the third round in 2020. An Ohio State alum, he viewed Ryan Shazier as a model for his game, though he certainly lacks that kind of speed and athleticism.
Harrison has never held a full-time starting role during his career, logging a career-high 372 snaps in 2024, but still coming in under 40 percent of the Ravens’ defensive total. He officially has 34 starts in 76 games with 174 tackles and two sacks. But his real value is his 1,558 career snaps on special teams, where he will be an asset to the Steelers and Danny Smith.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. Once the dust settles on free agency, we turn our attention to the draft, and so on. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
