Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker and gym rat James Harrison is all good with him relinquishing his starter role to rookie T.J. Watt in the coming NFL season.
It was reported earlier that the Steelers are aiming to start Watt right out of the gates, which means Harrison will now be relegated a notch lower in Pittsburgh's linebacker pecking order and becoming “relief pitcher” of sorts.
Instead of fuming and acting like a diva after hearing of the news, Harrison chose the high road and acted with true professionalism, saying that if that's the setup linebackers coach Joey Porter envisions next season, he'll just roll with it per Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Oh, OK, if that’s what they say, all right,” said Harrison, the Steelers career sack leader. “That’s fine if that’s what they want me to do.”
Watt, the Steelers' 30th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, has garnered positive reviews following an impressive showing in Pittsburgh's 20-12 win over the New York Giants last Friday during Week 1 of the preseason, as he recorded two sacks and finished with five total tackles.
Harrison, on the other hand, is far from being shot at 39-years-old. He just showed last season that plenty of gas is left in his tank and juice on his legs, when he made 5.0 sacks and an interception in 15 games in 2016.
Harrison is still going to be useful for Pittsburgh's defense that finished ninth last season in sacks.
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