Steelers' 2025 Starter Not Guaranteed A Roster Spot This Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense had an underwhelming 2025 season. The league's highest-paid unit was in the middle of the pack or lower in most major defensive categories, and the opposition often exposed weaknesses in scheme and poor communication. One of the weakest parts of the defense was the inside linebacker group. Headlined by the green-dot linebacker Patrick Queen and second-year player Payton Wilson, the two lacked the firepower at times. Not to mention, the depth at the position provided little help. The two other linebackers who played most often behind Wilson and Queen, Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison, left a lot to be desired. 

The Steelers have had many great inside linebackers in the team's history, and Queen, who is like the quarterback of the defense, struggled. The Steelers did little to add to the room throughout the 2026 offseason, including the draft, and only re-signed Holcomb to a two-year deal. Besides that, the Steelers brass must feel confident that the position group can bounce back in 2026. They'll need to if the defense wants to return to form. 

There is an inside linebacker who started nine games for the Black and Gold in 2025 who could be on the chopping block. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Chris Adamski broke it down in a recent article regarding Harrison, who is playing on the second year of his two-year, $10 million contract. 

"There is presumably no guarantee Harrison has a spot on the active roster locked up. Not at that salary-cap figure, at least. The Steelers can save $4.75 million of both real cash and cap space if they release Harrison," Adamski wrote.

The Steelers invested a decent chunk of change on the linebacker, and his 41 total tackles and only two tackles for loss in 2025 may not be worth the deal. 

Harrison is a valuable run-stopper, but his weakness in coverage was exploited at times. He hasn’t made many impact plays with Pittsburgh, and the Steelers may look to save themselves some money if they decide to cut him. That money could be used on another free agent to add to the room. Adamski believes Pittsburgh may have other plans. 

"Are the Steelers still keeping a keen eye on the waiver wire and camp roster moves to see if an upgrade can come externally?" Adamski wrote. 

Since the team didn't use any of its 10 draft picks this past April at the position and only re-signed Holcomb, it could be looking to add another player to the group throughout training camp. It wouldn't be a bad idea, even if the Steelers kept Harrison, but his cap hit suggests they could find someone of similar value, but at a lower cost. Harrison has been average at best, and for cap reasons, he could find himself cut if he doesn't perform well in camp or if the front office wants to allocate that money somewhere else. 

The Steelers Don't Seem To Have A Long-Term Plan At Inside Linebacker

Wilson will have a lot to prove in 2026 if he wants to be a part of the team's long-term plans. He has a ton of speed, but his play against the run has raised some concerns. He'll have to prove he can be a complete player, especially with the new coaching staff. Queen is playing on the final year of his three-year deal, and his play was underwhelming in 2025.

The Steelers lack a level of youth in the room and have relied on veterans at the position besides Wilson. They'll hope for Wilson to take the next step and for their current linebackers to produce for the sake of the entire defense. This will be a big test for the direction of the position group, as the team doesn't have any reliable young players to fall back on at the moment. 

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