Getty
Pittsburgh Steelers insider Mark Kaboly named linebacker Malik Harrison a cut candidate for the 2026 NFL offseason.
Former Pro Bowl veteran linebacker Patrick Queen has been a popularly named cut candidate for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. But on his most recent podcast, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly went another way, labeling a different Steelers inside linebacker a potential cap casualty — Malik Harrison.
“I think the guy you look at, probably getting paid way too much for what he did last year, was Malik Harrison,” said Kaboly to his co-host Chris Mack, via Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora. “What’s his cap number. Like, $7 [million].
“I know that’s not a lot, but what are we talking about here?”
Harrison’s exact cap hit for 2026 is set to be $6.79 million. The Steelers could release the linebacker and save $4.75 million against the salary cap.
In his first season with the Steelers last year, Harrison started nine games. He missed six of the first seven contests of the campaign because of a knee injury.
Over 11 appearances, Harrison posted 41 combined tackles. He played the greatest percentage of his snaps on special teams.
Could Steelers Cut LB Malik Harrison?
In the grand scheme of the NFL, Harrison’s cap hit doesn’t amount to much. Neither does the cap savings in the event the Steelers release him.
But with nearly an entirely new coaching staff, the possibility is probably on the table.
The Steelers signed Harrison in 2025 free agency after he played five years for the Baltimore Ravens. The addition wasn’t as big of a splash as Queen the previous year, but similar in that the Steelers were adding a key defensive player from Baltimore.
But Harrison only played once in the first two months of the season. While he started eight consecutive games upon returning from a knee injury, he often played fewer than 50% of the team’s defensive snaps.
Harrison was a strong run defender with the Ravens. In Pittsburgh, he was average in that area according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades. During 2025, he also struggled in tackling and coverage.
Overall, Harrison posted a 55.1 player grade at PFF last season. That was actually slightly better than his 51.6 overall grade in 2024 (out of 100).
Whether or not the Steelers keep Harrison could depend on whether the organization believes it can find better quality depth and/or a special teams contributor at the same or lower cap hit.
Changes Coming to Steelers Defense?
The Steelers made a lot of changes in player personnel last offseason. The roster turnover led to the arrival of new veterans such as Harrison.
With Patrick Graham becoming defensive coordinator, the Steelers could have even more changes this offseason. Cameron Heyward could retire. Pundits have been discussing other veterans such as T.J. Watt and Jalen Ramsey as trade candidates.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be shocking if Harrison, or even Queen, are on the outs too and released.
However, none of these moves are guaranteed to occur. All five of those veterans are under contract and could return to Pittsburgh in 2026.
It will be an interesting next few weeks for the Steelers. What the organization does at quarterback could also conceivably impact the team’s defensive plans.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
More Heavy on Steelers
Loading more stories