Steelers Release Former Ohio State Star Malik Harrison
Former Ohio State standout Malik Harrison is searching for a new NFL home after the Pittsburgh Steelers released the linebacker on Sunday, a move that clears $4.75 million in salary cap space for the team. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was first to report the decision, confirming Harrison was owed $4.75 million this season before his release.
For Buckeyes fans who followed Harrison’s rise from a Columbus high school standout to a Big Ten star, the news marks another chapter in a six-season NFL career that has never quite matched the production he showed at Ohio State.
Malik Harrison’s Ohio State Career: A Columbus Native’s Rise to Big Ten Standout
Harrison arrived at Ohio State as a local product out of Walnut Ridge High School and developed into a key contributor for the Buckeyes’ defense. Over four seasons in Columbus, he appeared in 52 games and started 28 of them, finishing his college career with 205 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks.
His breakout came as a junior in 2018, when he tied for the team lead with 81 tackles and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. He followed that up with an even stronger senior season in 2019, again leading Ohio State in tackles with 75 stops while adding a career-best 16.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks — production that earned him first-team All-Big Ten recognition from the conference’s coaches.
Harrison’s college career also came with team success, as he helped Ohio State claim consecutive outright Big Ten championships during his final seasons with the program.
Malik Harrison’s NFL Draft Journey and Career With the Ravens
Harrison’s standout senior season at Ohio State helped him get selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the 98th overall pick. He went on to spend his first five NFL seasons in Baltimore, developing into a rotational piece and special-teams contributor before hitting free agency. His best single-season tackle total came in 2024 with the Ravens, when he posted 54 tackles.
Malik Harrison’s Lone Season With the Pittsburgh Steelers
Harrison signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Steelers in March 2025, but his lone season in Pittsburgh never fully lived up to those free-agent expectations. He appeared in 11 games and made nine starts, recording 41 combined tackles — including 25 solo stops — and two tackles for loss. A knee injury limited him early in the year, and although he eventually returned to the starting lineup, his overall impact fell short of what the Steelers envisioned when they signed him.
Malik Harrison’s Full NFL Career Statistics
Across his entire NFL career, Harrison has now played in 87 regular-season games with 43 starts. His career totals include 215 tackles, two sacks, and one pass deflection — solid, if unspectacular, numbers for a player once viewed as one of the Big Ten’s top run-defending linebackers.
Why the Steelers Released Malik Harrison
Pittsburgh’s linebacker room got noticeably deeper this offseason, which ultimately squeezed Harrison out of the picture. The Steelers re-signed Cole Holcomb and later added Elandon Roberts during the preseason, creating more competition at the position. Harrison did not appear in the team’s final two preseason exhibition games — a signal to many close observers that his release was likely on the way.
The timing also lines up with the NFL’s broader roster-cutdown period. The league’s 2026 salary cap sits at $301.2 million, up $22 million from the previous year, and teams across the NFL are working to get under the 53-man roster limit. Pittsburgh’s decision to move on from Harrison helps the team clear cap space during that critical roster-trimming window.
What’s Next for Malik Harrison in Free Agency?
Buckeyes fans who watched Harrison dominate against the run during his Ohio State career may note that his NFL role has often skewed more toward a rotational and special-teams function rather than a full-time starting role. Still, at 6-foot-3 and roughly 250 pounds, the 28-year-old brings legitimate size, physicality, and experience that could draw interest from other teams looking to add linebacker depth.
Harrison’s path from Walnut Ridge High School to Ohio Stadium to the NFL has been defined by steady, dependable production rather than standout stardom. With the Steelers now moving on, his next stop remains unknown, but Ohio State fans will likely continue tracking where the former first-team All-Big Ten linebacker lands — and whether a new opportunity can help him recapture more of the production that made him a fan favorite in Columbus.
Malik Harrison’s NFL Free Agency Outlook
The release closes out a one-year stint in Pittsburgh that never quite took off, but Harrison’s college resume at Ohio State remains a genuine high point that many in Columbus still remember fondly. At this stage of his career, any team that signs him would be adding a veteran linebacker with a proven track record against the run and a strong college pedigree — the kind of depth piece that could carve out a role on a new roster as the 2026 NFL season approaches.
