The Pittsburgh Steelers released their first depth chart of the preseason. Typically a telling sign of how the team views a player, in years past, depth charts weren’t that notable. Mike Tomlin was adamant that the only reason he produced a depth chart was that he had to.
It seems like Mike McCarthy may have a different stance.
While Steelers fans had become used to predictable depth charts, the first one for the Steelers feels notable. There were numerous surprises, both good and bad, for the team.
For Malik Harrison, though, it seems like his chances of making the team took a blow. Rumors have been swirling that he was on the outs with the team. That feels like a forgone conclusion now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have seemingly demoted Malik Harrison
While it didn’t come as a surprise when the Steelers listed Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, and Cole Holcomb ahead of Harrison, it was shocking to see second-year linebacker Carson Bruener having jumped him already.
Bruener was used on special teams only as a rookie. While he won’t be in line for a huge workload, it seems like the team is comfortable with him maintaining his special teams role and taking on more workload on defense.
Harrison, meanwhile, now sits as the fifth linebacker on the depth chart. While the Steelers have traditionally kept five linebackers, it feels like a stretch that Harrison would stick around at his current salary.
Had he been playing on a minimum deal or something close to that, this would be a different story. Instead, Harrison has a healthy-sized salary, and he certainly won’t be worth that kid of money as a fifth linebacker.
It felt like Harrison had dropped a few spots on the depth chart during camp so far. He wasn’t seeing the field with the first-team defense at all. The team seemed content rotating in their top three options.
Worse yet, Harrison hasn’t been notable on special teams. That is one of his calling cards, but he was ineffective there last year, and the Steelers don’t seem keen on using him anywhere as of now.
It felt like Harrison was slipping down the depth chart. That has now been confirmed with his demotion on the team. He has to prove his worth this summer, but it feels like his odds of making the team are low given how quickly the Steelers have tried to replace him.
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