{"id":769741,"date":"2026-02-22T21:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T21:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/769741\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T21:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T21:06:16","slug":"kaboly-names-steeler-getting-paid-way-too-much-as-likely-cap-casualty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/769741\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaboly Names Steeler ‘Getting Paid Way Too Much’ As Likely Cap Casualty"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Malik Harrison, the two-year contract he signed ahead of the 2025 season might instead turn into a one-year stay. With a new coaching staff and the chance to free up additional cap space, beat writer Mark Kaboly thinks Harrison is a name under the microscope as a Steelers cap casualty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the guy you look at, probably getting paid way too much for what he did last year, was Malik Harrison,\u201d Kaboly told co-host Chris Mack on a recent episode of their podcast.<\/a> \u201cWhat\u2019s his cap number. Like, $7 [million]? I know that\u2019s not a lot, but what are we talking about here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Per Over the Cap, Kaboly is close. Harrison\u2019s cap charge comes in at $6.79 million.<\/a> While that\u2019s a pittance compared to a projected salary cap of over $300 million, it\u2019s fair to question if Harrison is worth the money.<\/p>\n

A Week 1 knee injury limited Harrison\u2019s impact until November. Once healthy, he found a role as a thumper in Pittsburgh\u2019s run packages. He also contributed on special teams, bringing a skill set he showcased during his first five years with the Baltimore Ravens.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was good at what he was able to do,\u201d Kaboly said.<\/p>\n

Harrison brings value against the run, but he wasn\u2019t the tone-setter Elandon Roberts was during his Steelers stint. Nor is Harrison an elite special-teamer, like Miles Killebrew or Ben Skowronek.<\/p>\n

As Dave Bryan outlined, cutting Harrison will save $4.75 million before roster displacement.<\/a> Pittsburgh doesn\u2019t need that money, but could spend it better elsewhere. With a dozen draft picks, the Steelers could use a Day Three pick on inside linebacker depth to replace Harrison. Buffalo\u2019s Red Murdock is one possible candidate. Murdock made plays in college, forcing an NCAA-record 17 fumbles. His tape matches that implied physicality.<\/p>\n

With Cole Holcomb a pending free agent, the backend of Pittsburgh\u2019s inside linebacker room could look different in 2026. Carson Bruener will return after a standout rookie year on special teams, but the backups around him may not return. Of course, with Patrick Queen\u2019s heavy contract and upcoming March roster bonus, there\u2019s a chance the front of the depth chart won\u2019t be the same, either.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Malik Harrison, the two-year contract he signed ahead of the 2025 season might…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":769742,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[13518,7,10063,5241,6,520,57,2360,426],"class_list":["post-769741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-chris-mack","tag-football","tag-malik-harrison","tag-mark-kaboly","tag-nfl","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-pittsburghsteelers","tag-steelers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116116323398241454","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/769742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}