Steelers Sign LB James Harrison

Well that’s settled. Yesterday we learned that linebacker James Harrison was faced with the tough choice of deciding between coming back to Pittsburgh and joining his former coach and mentor, Dick LeBeau in Tennessee. A choice that, quite frankly made a lot of Steeler Nation nervous.

Considering the state of the Steelers outside linebacking corps and the love and affection Harrison has for Dick LeBeau, it would have been a huge blow to the Steelers defense if they weren’t able to lock up Harrison for at least one more season.

Saturday, James said he was praying over his decision. Sunday, the Steelers announced that they have signed Harrison to a two-year contract. It seemed as though that the Steelers had planned to re-sign Harrison all along, just not any time soon to save the 37-year-old from having to participate in OTAs, training camp and even preseason games but Tennessee might have forced their hand within the past few days which was why Harrison announced that there was a choice to be made.

I, for one, think he made the right choice. I think the Steelers made the right choice. Harrison’s talents weren’t as valuable across the league as they would be here in Pittsburgh or under Dick LeBeau. He’s already learned the painful lesson that the grass isn’t always greener when he spent an unfulfilling and unproductive season in Cincinnati. He could have been more productive under LeBeau in Tennessee than he was in Cincy, but it still wouldn’t be right.

This way, Harrison can finish what he started last year, by proving to himself, the Steelers and the rest of the NFL that he still has what it takes to dominate linemen who foolishly try to block him and harass quarterbacks in the same manner that won him the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2010.

This isn’t about holding onto the older players as has been the ways of the Steelers defense the past five years or so. This is about the Steelers bringing back their legitimately best pass rusher from their roster last season. That should put extra pressure on everyone from Jarvis Jones to Arthur Moats to say that if you want to be a fixture on this defense, you’re going to have to outwork James Harrison. That’s not an easy feat for anyone.

So breathe easy, Steeler Nation, Deebo is back. And he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. What do you think of the Steelers signing James Harrison?

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