The Pittsburgh Steelers used a third-round pick on Payton Wilson last year, but don’t overlook Malik Harrison. They signed him to a two-year, $10 million contract—and he is going to spend his time on the bench? Or, alternatively, are they paying him just to be an ace special-teams contributor? Don’t count on it, Mark Kaboly says.
“You can pencil in Queen for his 95% of the snaps, but the other side is still situational to me until I see differently”, he wrote about the inside linebacker position recently. The Steelers “love Malik Harrison, and he could be an early-down guy and Wilson a coverage expert. At this point, I am under the belief that we will see both Harrison and Wilson like we saw Elandon Roberts and Wilson last year”.
Steelers Mailbag: Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, locker rooms and moving up or down in draft?
Mark Kaboly / Steelers Correspondent
For The @PatMcAfeeShow
PITTSBURGH — By the time you read this, Aaron Rodgers could be the Steelers quarterback.
Or maybe not. At this point, does the… pic.twitter.com/1vuSCyj4uA
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) March 24, 2025
As a rookie last season, Payton Wilson played nearly 500 snaps but officially started only four games. His playing time varied throughout the season, but he only hit north of 50 percent six times. Yet the Steelers used Elandon Roberts at a similar rate and would likely do the same for Harrison.
Or at least that might be the Steelers’ plan for Malik Harrison going into the season. In a vacuum, I’m sure their preference would be for Payton Wilson to grab the reins and prove himself. He has the talent to be an every-down player, but they just want to see a bit more from him.
Harrison, in contrast, is more limited athletically, but the Steelers have Patrick Queen for that role. They also have the benefit of Queen and Harrison already being familiar with each other with the Ravens. Baltimore drafted both in 2020, Queen in the first round and Harrison in the third. The Steelers signed the former in free agency last year and the latter this year.
But there’s also a reason that they drafted Payton Wilson. They viewed him as a starter-capable player, and he only fell to the third round due to injury concerns. The Steelers certainly signed Malik Harrison at least in part due to special teams. But in recent years, they have also acquired a preference for a three-man linebacker group.
At the same time, they also seem confident they will have Cole Holcomb available. At least from a health standpoint, they believed he could play last season. The question is at what level he can play after missing a season and dealing with a major injury. Along with Queen, Wilson, and Harrison, the Steelers are ensuring they have quality depth at the position.
In other words, it’s a good problem to have and certainly one they would have wished for in most years since 2018. Many questioned the Steelers’ signing of Malik Harrison, and we’ll have to see how it works out. If they really love him, as Kaboly suggests, we should expect that he will play. But exactly when and how much, the coaches will decide on the practice field and in game plans.
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