Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have reinstated hard-hitting inside linebacker Malik Harrison from the injured reserve list, the team announced on Saturday.
Harrison suffered a knee injury during the season opener against the New York Jets. He played in just four snaps and made two tackles in the game. He was injured late in the contest and was quickly placed on the IR.
Before his injury, Harrison was serving as the Steelers’ No. 3 inside linebacker. That role has been filled by Cole Holcomb with Harrison out. But Holcomb has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with an illness, meaning that Harrison will climb right back into his previous role this week.
With the Steelers facing the Indianapolis Colts and the No. 1 running back in the league, Jonathan Taylor, his run-stopping prowess will be much needed.
Harrison also served as the team’s fifth outside linebacker, a role that DeMarvin Leal has since re-claimed. Leal could be scratched with Harrison back in action.
Each NFL team can return a maximum of eight players from the injured reserve list over the course of a regular season. The Steelers have now used three, one on cornerback Cory Trice Jr., who was added to the IR before the start of the regular season, on Harrison and on quarterback Will Howard, who remains on the IR after opening his 21-day practice window.
The Steelers signed Harrison to a two-year, $10 million contract this offseason, poaching yet another linebacker from the Baltimore Ravens. The 27-year-old was a third-round pick of the Ravens out of Ohio State in 2020 and had spent all five of his previous NFL seasons in Baltimore.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Get Hard-Hitting Linebacker Back from Injured Reserve
