Pittsburgh Steelers: James Harrison return huge

The Pittsburgh Steelers could have been in a pass rushing bind if veteran James Harrison decided to take the Tennessee Titans contract over the Steelers offer, as they lost steady edge rusher Jason Worilds to a shocking retirement earlier this offseason. There was no surprise decision on Harrison’s part, however, because after mulling both of his offers, Harrison has chosen to re-sign with the Steelers, as per CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora.

Even though he will be 37 when the 2015 season starts, Harrison has still been able to perform at a high level, and he’ll garner plenty of snaps next season after taking 491 last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He turned those snaps into 45 tackles and 5.5 sacks, but those numbers don’t do justice to how disruptive he was to opposing passing attacks.

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Per PFF, among all 3-4 outside linebackers with at least 104 snaps rushing the passer (there were 37 qualifiers), Harrison was fifth in Pass Rushing Productivity. This means he was one of the league’s most efficient outside linebackers when it comes to getting after the quarterback, and he managed to finish with the eighth-most pressures.

Among the top 15 3-4 OLBs in pressures, only San Francisco 49ers superstar Aldon Smith had less snaps as a pass rusher (and he was 15th with 29 fewer snaps).

Harrison can still be a huge asset on the Steelers defense, and getting him back became critical upon Worilds’s retirement. Had the franchise icon chosen to play with Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan on the Titans, then the Steelers would have been left with no depth behind starters Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones.

While Jones has plenty of upside, he hasn’t done much through his first two seasons in the league with just 59 tackles and three career sacks in two years. Moats is one of the more underrated and well-rounded players at the position due to his decent pass rushing and excellent run defense, but it would have been far too risky for the Steelers to enter the 2015 season with solid-but-not-great veteran and an unproven third-year player as the two starters. And could the Steelers really trust Joe Kruger and Jordan Zumwalt as their two direct backups?

So not only does James Harrison give the Steelers one of the league’s better pass rushers and an underrated run defender who led 46 qualifiers with at least 114 run snaps in PFF’s Run Stop%, but he also greatly minimizes the Steelers risk at the position. Outside linebackers are critical in a 3-4 defense, and Harrison is one of those rare player who is excellent in run defense and as a pass rusher. He’s always been great in both of those facets, and it’s remarkable to think that at 36, he was still arguably a top-ten 3-4 outside linebacker.

Of course, Harrison isn’t someone who should be playing on every down despite his ability to excel against the run and as a pass rusher, since he will be 37 and has plenty of tread on his tires. But with Moats and Jones, the Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of room to continue to optimize his snaps, and he is the kind of tough, in-shape, motivated player who should have no issue staking another 500 or so snaps.

In all honesty, it wouldn’t have made much sense for Harrison to take the Titans over the Steelers, unless if the team with the No. 2 overall pick were paying him significantly more money. Beyond the fact that he has a history with the Steelers, Harrison simply wouldn’t have earned as much playing time with Orakpo, though he is prone to injury, and Morgan locked in as the OLB duo in Tennessee.

And, of course, the Steelers made the playoffs last season whereas the Titans could be in the running for the No. 1 pick next season. A guy like Harrison who has won two Super Bowls and is nearing retirement will almost certainly prioritize winning. That said, the Titans also offered Dick LeBeau, though that really doesn’t seem to be enough to swing the meter.

Money talks for all sides involved, so it will be interesting to see what Harrison makes on this latest deal. Based on the way he played last season, he’ll most likely make good on the Steelers money, barring any precipitous decline from 36 to 37. Harrison still has it, and he’ll likely pick up some solid guaranteed money on this contract as a result of his hard work in 2014.

Next: Should Steelers target Marcus Peters?

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