Steelers cut EDGE Malik Harrison, save $4.75M

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Harrison agreed to the deal “with the goal to contribute early.” The pass rusher totaled 28 tackles and seven quarterback pressures last year with the Steelers.

Austin has not yet returned to practice after injuring his shoulder in the Steelers’ Week 4 game against the Vikings. The team had a Week 5 bye and declined to put Austin on short-term injured reserve, which would have required him to sit out until Week 10. The Steelers face the Bengals on Thursday Night Football this week. The short week undoubtedly hurt Austin’s chances of returning in time. The Steelers also ruled out S Miles Killebrew (knee) and listed S DeShon Elliott (personal) and LB Malik Harrison (knee) as questionable. Elliott missed Weeks 3-4 with a knee injury.

The longtime Raven heads to the division-rival Steelers on a $10 million contract. Seemingly an excellent fit in the 3-4 defensive scheme in Pittsburgh, he’ll likely remain in more of a rotational role with the Steelers considering their depth at the position. Harrison has not played more than 438 defensive snaps in a season and has been used primarily as a run defender by Baltimore. He likely replaces Elandon Roberts for the Steelers.

Harrison played a complementary role for the stacked Ravens interior defense in 2023, doing enough through sub-packages to warrant a return to the team in 2024. The four-year veteran has started 27 games in 61 appearances for the Ravens while on his rookie contract but could carve out a more robust role with the departures of Patrick Queen and Kyle Van Noy this offseason. The details of the contract have yet to be reported.

Harrison ended up missing three games after he was struck by a stray bullet during a visit to his hometown during the Ravens’ Week 8 bye. The 2020 third-rounder was playing a ton of snaps before going down, but not effective ones. The Ravens haven’t really figured anything out during Harrison’s absence, so he should immediately re-join the rotation on Sunday against the Browns.

Harrison was struck by a stray bullet while attending a gathering in Cleveland on Monday. Harrison, an Ohio native, was home during the Ravens’ bye week when the incident occurred but the team announced that the injury was not life-threatening. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he doesn’t believe the injury is severe so Harrison should be back on the field soon. Harrison has 22 combined tackles and a pair of TFLs as a rotational player for the Baltimore defense this year.

Elliott is one of seven “close contacts” of COVID-positive Marlon Humphrey who must miss this week’s practices and quarantine. The other six are: LB Matthew Judon, LB Patrick Queen, LB L.J. Fort, LB Malik Harrison, CB Terrell Bonds and LB Tyus Bowser. Presuming they all keep returning negative tests, all seven players will be eligible to suit up for Sunday’s game against the Colts. An every-down player his third year in the league, Elliott has been providing strong snaps at the back end of the Ravens’ defense.

Harrison (6’3/247) was a two-year starting linebacker at Ohio State who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior. Especially for someone of his size, he showed above-average straight-line athleticism, particularly in zone coverage where he could run and chase. In man coverage, his sub-par agility was occasionally exposed, so he may be scheme-dependent in the NFL. He’s a physical player with nice vision against the run. He led the Buckeyes in tackles and was used as a spy. Harrison’s 72nd percentile Adjusted SPARQ athleticism and above-average production (75 tackles, 16.5 TFLs) are enough to bet on him as an NFL starter who will be at his best in zone and against the run. Harrison and first-rounder Patrick Queen could easily start Week 1 inside for the Ravens.

Harrison (6’3/247) was a two-year starting linebacker at Ohio State who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior. Especially for someone of his size, he showed above-average straight-line athleticism, particularly in zone coverage where he could run and chase. In man coverage, his sub-par agility was occasionally exposed, so he may be scheme-dependent in the NFL. He’s a physical player with nice vision against the run. He led the Buckeyes in tackles and was used as a spy. Harrison’s 72nd percentile Adjusted SPARQ athleticism and above-average production (75 tackles, 16.5 TFLs) are enough to bet on him as an NFL starter who will be at his best in zone and against the run. Harrison and first-rounder Patrick Queen could easily start Week 1 inside for the Ravens.

Harrison (6’3/247) was a two-year starting linebacker at Ohio State who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior. Especially for someone of his size, he showed above-average straight-line athleticism, particularly in zone coverage where he could run and chase. In man coverage, his sub-par agility was occasionally exposed, so he may be scheme-dependent in the NFL. He’s a physical player with nice vision against the run. He led the Buckeyes in tackles and was used as a spy. Harrison’s 72nd percentile Adjusted SPARQ athleticism and above-average production (75 tackles, 16.5 TFLs) are enough to bet on him as an NFL starter who will be at his best in zone and against the run. Harrison and first-rounder Patrick Queen could easily start Week 1 inside for the Ravens.