While nothing is official at this time, it looks very likely that the Pittsburgh Steelers are once again turning back the clock for help on defense. Having already brought 36-year old Brett Keisel back, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that James Harrison will visit with the Steelers on Tuesday.
I have to believe that if the Steelers are going through the process of bringing him in then they will most certainly sign him. This is the result of the injury suffered by Jarvis Jones on Sunday night in Carolina. Jones has been placed on the Injured Reserve-Designated to Return list and is expected to miss about eight weeks.
The Steelers are clearly not comfortable with Arthur Moats which begs the question, why did they go get him then? My best guess at this time is that Harrison and Moats will share time at the outside backer position. I can see Harrison being stout against the run but I don’t see much in the way of pressuring the quarterback from him. Perhaps this is where Moats will come in.
Bringing back Harrison also means that the Steelers are not interested in moving Howard Jones from the practice squad anytime soon either.
The best-case scenario with Harrison is that he comes in and makes significant contributions to the point where Jarvis Jones isn’t missed at all. This means he is pressuring and sacking opposing quarterbacks and is completely shutting down the run to his side. That’s asking an awful lot of another 36-year old player well past his prime.
Harrison will be welcomed by many fans but I’m not certain this is the right move. Harrison wasn’t going to go anywhere so why not give Moats a week or two to see what he can do?
As always, it will be interesting to see how this plays out as the Steelers head into a very winnable portion of their schedule.
Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteelDad and the website @SCBlitz. Check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/steelcityblitz and on Fancred.com. You can hear him weekly during the season on Trib-Live Radio Steelers Pre-Game
photo courtesy blacksportsonline.com
3 comments
I don’t think the signing of Harrison says anything about the Steelers’ opinion of Moats… They just need depth. I’m a big Howard Jones fan but give me a 36 year old Harrison all day over Jones this year.
Yea this writer sucks, let steelbydesign write the next article. We are down “2” Linebackers and a corner. In my opinion Harrison should have been brought back since we were starting a rookie, a year one and a year 3 line backer and Dick has gone on record saying it takes “at least” 3 years to have this defensive scheme down pact. Even if only as a situational guy, his mentoring would help us leaps and bounds…all respect to Joey porter..but he cannot huddle with the defense.
Welp, there ya have it Chris. You do all the writing from now on… If Harrison is OK with being rotational with Moats then I can handle that but if Harrison is returning to be the full-time guy then I have serious concerns especially about the pass rush.