The Baltimore Ravens have gone through a major defensive transition this offseason. After an utterly horrific year on that side of the ball, they’ve made the necessary changes to reroute that unit into one of the better groups in the NFL in 2026.
As for their top AFC North rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, you might not be able to say the same for them. They also had a rough go of it on defense last season, and although they dramatically improved the secondary, one area should remain a big concern. Their linebacker group.
Two former Ravens are a part of Pittsburgh’s linebacker group: Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison. Both have struggled with the Steelers, and for Harrison, his time could be nearing an end. On June 4, Pittsburgh signed Jamin Davis, and according to Andrew Falce on Still Curtain, he could pose a threat to Harrison’s roster spot.
Baltimore Ravens might be watching former starter turn to Pittsburgh Steelers’ flame out
The Jamin Davis signing doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Malik Harrison will be booted out of the equation. Davis has been a bust up to this point in his five-year career. However, there’s definitely some sort of pathway for Davis to make the team and Harrison to slip off it. Andrew Falce brought up an excellent point in his piece. He wrote:
“If Davis can do enough to flash, he could stick as the fifth linebacker on the depth chart. That isn’t flashy, and he would likely be inactive most weeks, but it would lead to the Steelers saving $4.75 million in cap space by cutting Harrison.”
Harrison also just isn’t a great football player. Ravens fans know that more than anyone.
Sure, Harrison’s been a fine player across his NFL career, but as a starter, he’s been more of a negative asset. With the Ravens, he played in 83 games and started 38 of them (including playoffs). Unfortunately, he never carved out more than a consistent rotational role and a special-teams contributor. Now with the Steelers, it seems he’s on a similar trajectory.
Pittsburgh was never really expecting too much from Harrison when they signed him back in the 2025 offseason. The former Ohio State standout signed a two-year, $10 million contract, turning on the team that drafted him for their most heated division rival. That’s not a big-time investment, but he hasn’t done much with the opportunity on a new team.
Harrison hasn’t gotten much better, if at all, since joining the Steelers. In 2025, he suited up for 12 games, logging 10 starts (including playoffs), and turned in a 57.6 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus. His pass coverage struggles have been the main issue that has followed him to the Steel City. He is also simply a step too slow, which plagues him in run defense.
Looking at how Pittsburgh’s depth chart is shaking out, Davis could challenge Harrison for backup reps. Payton Wilson will probably be taking Harrison’s starting spot, and Harrison will have to fend off Davis to avoid a depth chart free-fall.
At this point, it’s looking like the Steelers could be close to admitting their mistake of signing Harrison.
Add us as a preferred source on Google