Analyzing the Return of James Harrison

Timing is everything in the sports blogging world and within hours of posting a piece on James Harrison signing with either the Tennessee Titans or Pittsburgh Steelers, Boom! Deebo was back in the black and gold.

The question I’ve been asked a lot so far today has centered around the positives and negatives of bringing the 37-year old outside linebacker back to the Steel City.

I’ll be entirely honest as always; I think there’s a lot to be gleaned from bringing Harrison back.

Clearly the Steelers were concerned about Harrison taking a few extra dollars to go with another team so they chose to wrap him up sooner rather than later.

That’s understandable but the real question is why? Why did Kevin Colbert and/or Mike Tomlin feel it necessary to retain Deebo?

It has to be because of depth and I don’t mean just with reserves. Prior to Harrison re-signing, the starting OLBs were going to be Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones. I know a lot of people who view this as a “role playing opportunity” for Harrison but I don’t see it that way.

Silverback didn’t re-sign to spell a few players in front of him. He’s back because of a legitimate chance to start or play a large portion of snaps at the least.

In a perfect world, training camp reveals that both Howard Jones and Jordan Zumwalt turn into total studs and a rookie proves just as solid. This way, the team might be able to send Harrison back to retirement.

This is of course a wonderful dream because although possible, it’s also highly unlikely.

Let us not forget why the return of James Harrison was necessary. Poor drafts and an inability to develop talent have come home to roost.

I think it’s wonderful that the Steelers have the fallback luxury they do with Harrison but let’s not forget the real reason he’s back. He’s here because the Steelers are desperate at the position and he’s the only option.