Steelers' James Harrison Calls Out AFC North Rival For Foolish Decision

The Pittsburgh Steelers still have no confirmation of who will be their starting quarterback for the 2026 season. Aaron Rodgers still has not yet officially signed, leaving a battle between Mason Rudolph and Will Howard for the team's top spot. The team drafted Drew Allar in the third round of the recent NFL Draft, but it could be a long time before he's ready.

Without Rodgers, the quarterback room looks scary, and not for good reasons. Rudolph has proven to be a career backup, and Howard and Allar haven't taken any NFL snaps. While the Steelers have their own quarterback problems, they aren't the only ones in the AFC North with issues at the position. 

The Cleveland Browns have plenty of issues within the organization, but none may be greater than their quarterback situation. On March 18, 2022, the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson, giving him a five-year, $230 million contract fully guaranteed. 

This move has been disastrous, and is possibly one of the worst trades in NFL history. Watson has barely played for the Browns, only starting 19 games in four seasons. Now, the franchise has Shedeur Sanders, a once-projected first-round pick, who fell to the fifth round. Sanders made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, making him the easy choice as the starting quarterback going into 2026, at least, so it would seem. 

Steelers legend James Harrison recently appeared on his show, Deebo & Joe, where they discussed recent NFL news. The two talked about reports of Sanders being the starter, but Watson got the majority of the first-team 11-on-11 drills. According to Mary Kay Cabot, Watson impressed so much that he now has the inside track to be the starter. Harrison got a laugh out of this news, saying this is just Cleveland doing what it does best. 

"This right here is some Cleveland stuff, Joe. This is more like what I'm used to seeing from Cleveland, Joe." Harrison said. 

In minicamp, the teams do not wear pads, so starting jobs aren't typically won or lost during these periods. In the Browns case, they gave way to Watson over Sanders after the first day of minicamp. Harrison pointed this out and continued to clown the Browns for their questionable decision. 

"After one day, y'all went from having him as the starter. One day, minicamp, we aren't running around in nothing but some shorts, Joe. And the next day... Watson coming out with the starters and taking most of the reps. That sounds like some Cleveland stuff to me, Joe."

The Browns aren't known for making good decisions as an organization. The skepticism is fair for swapping quarterbacks after a day. Sanders showed flashes as a rookie, but also displayed why he was a fifth-round pick. Watson has proven he isn't what he used to be, and the injuries certainly don't help. He tore his Achilles tendon, then re-ruptured it during rehab. The Browns should look to build through Sanders, rather than wasting their time on Watson. 

Steelers Need To Figure Out Their Own Problem

While fans often laugh at the Browns for being a quarterback career killer, the Steelers haven't been much better. They have been running through quarterbacks for seasons now, with a new Week 1 starting quarterback for five straight seasons. They failed with the Kenny Pickett selection and haven't recovered since. That caused Mike Tomlin to resort to veteran quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Rodgers. 

Now, with Mike McCarthy being the head coach, he may look to the younger generation. With the selection of Allar and Howard's very high praise, McCarthy could try to develop a young project. They won't have the experience, but they have the youth. Fresh legs with a fresh voice could turn the franchise around. Time will tell where this philosophy will get them. 

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