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Pittsburgh Steelers: James Harrison is Vital for 2016

By Dan Thomas

Jan 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) walks off the field after a loss against the Denver Broncos during the third quarter of the AFC Divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) walks off the field after a loss against the Denver Broncos during the third quarter of the AFC Divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have many personnel decisions to make during the upcoming off-season. Who to cut and who to keep? What free agents should they sign? Who should they draft? So where does James Harrison stand in all of this?

The beginning of this process will get underway in the next couple weeks. The Steelers will have one less problem to deal with if OLB James Harrison decides to come back for his 14th season. The former Kent State star will turn 38 before the start of the 2016 season but he’s still been productive despite the fact that he’s up there in age.

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Harrison was expected to play a limited role in 2015 due to his age and because the Steelers spent a 1st-round pick on an OLB in 2013 (Jarvis Jones) and 2015 (Bud Dupree). That plan changed when Harrison continued to play above expectations set from a season ago and because the young OLB’s were playing at an underwhelming level.According to Sporting Charts, Harrison finished the regular season with 608 snaps in 15 games. On average, he played more than 40 snaps per game and despite missing one game with a knee injury, he still managed to play more snaps than any other OLB on the roster.

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There were nine other players on the Steelers defense that played more snaps than Harrison. Yet, he still managed to finish the season T-1st on the team in forced fumbles and T-3rd in sacks. That’s solid contribution to this Steelers defense but when you consider Harrison’s age, it’s borderline amazing. Harrison was the oldest player on the Steelers roster in 2015 and the second-oldest defensive player in the NFL only behind Oakland Raiders DB Charles Woodson. When looking at Harrison’s 2015 statistics stacked up against the other Steelers OLB’s it’s once again — amazing.

Harrison led the OLB group in tackles, sacks, forced fumbles and passes defended. He also tied for the most interceptions (1) amongst the group. He was far and away the best OLB on the Steelers even though he is almost 10 years older than the second-oldest OLB on the team, Arthur Moats.  As mentioned before, the Steelers spent two 1st-round picks on an OLB in two out of the last three NFL Drafts. Here is a quick look of how Harrison’s numbers stacked up against those two 1st-round picks in 2015:

Screen Shot 2016-02-02 at 9.17.27 PM
Screen Shot 2016-02-02 at 9.17.27 PM /

In fairness to Dupree, he was a rookie last season and only played in 50% of the team’s defensive snaps. At the halfway point of the 2015 season, he managed to rack up 4.0 sacks and was on pace for 8.0 sacks for the season. However, he failed to record a single sack in Weeks 9-17. Still, his 4.0 sacks T-4th among NFL Rookies and T-2nd among rookie OLB’s. There is a lot of upside with Dupree and it won’t be a surprise if he doubles his sack total in 2016. Jarvis Jones on the other hand, has a lot of questions marks.

Aug 23, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison (92) breaks off of the line of scrimmage against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 23, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison (92) breaks off of the line of scrimmage against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Since entering the league in 2013, Jones has done nothing to justify why the Steelers selected him 17th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He has yet to play a entire 16-game season in his three years and is averaging less than 2.5 tackles per game for his career.

What’s really concerning is that he only has 5 total sacks over three seasons. Think about this: Since being drafted in 2013, there’s been 10 times where a Steelers defender registered 5 or more sacks in a single season (Cameron Heyward (3), Jason Worilds (2), James Harrison (2), LaMarr Woodley (1), Stephon Tuitt (1), and Lawrence Timmons (1))

Jones is entering a make-or-break season in 2016 because it’s the last year of his rookie contract. If he does not show vast improvement in 2016, the Steelers will more than likely let him walk in free agency.

The Steelers can address the issue a little over a year from now. In the meantime, Harrison can step in like he has over the last two seasons and produce as a solid run-stuffer and above-average pass rusher.

If Jones makes that jump in his development and has a breakout season in 2016, the Steelers can limit Harrison’s snaps from 40 a game to about 25 and he’ll still have the ability to contribute when his number is called. Then in the off-season the Steelers can re-sign Jones and they’ll be set at OLB for years to come.

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The Steelers lost their best OLB in Jason Worilds last off-season to retirement and are at risk of losing Harrison this off-season to retirement. No matter the outcome of Dupree’s and Jones’ development in 2016, Harrison needs to be a part of that team next season. He can cushion the blow if the young OLB’s falter or he can contribute on limited snaps if they step up. Harrison has shown he can still play at a high level despite being 37 years old.

Seriously, is anybody honestly going to tell this guy he’s too old to play?

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