Nov 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Steelers helmet before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers' Malik Harrison Suffers Scary Head Injury

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Dec 7, 2025 2:38 PM ET

A Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker went down with a scary injury in the first half of the team's Week 14 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

With Pittsburgh leading 17-3, Malik Harrison went down as he ranged across the middle to make a tackle on running back Derrick Henry.

Harrison appeared to take a shot to the head/neck area and was motionless on the turf for a period of time before ultimately walking off the field. Cole Holcomb entered the game in his place.

Steelers senior director of communications Burt Lauten announced that Harrison sustained a concussion and will miss the remainder of the contest.

#Steelers LB Malik Harrison has a concussion and is OUT for the rest of today's game.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 7, 2025

Harrison's Background and 2025 Season

An Ohio State product who played in a total of 52 games for the program from 2016 to 2019 while logging 205 tackles, Harrison was picked by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

He was with the team for five years, appearing in 76 contests and making 34 starts over that span. Harrison recorded 174 tackles and two sacks for the Ravens in the regular season while posting 23 tackles over seven postseason contests.

Harrison went on to sign a two-year deal worth $10 million with the Steelers as a free agent back in March. He sustained a knee injury in the team's Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, however, which resulted in a trip to the reserve/injured list.

The 27-year-old was activated ahead of Pittsburgh's Week 9 game vs. the Indianapolis Colts, and he had posted 24 tackles in six contests for the team entering this week while playing 41 percent of the defensive snaps and 52 percent of the special teams snaps.

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Impact of Harrison's Injury

With Harrison having been ruled out for the rest of the day, Holcomb will likely take on an elevated role in the middle of Pittsburgh's defense alongside Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson.

Holcomb, who missed three games with an illness in November, had logged 27 total tackles for the Steelers this season leading into this week. He missed the entire 2024 campaign while recovering from a serious knee injury he suffered in Week 9 of the 2023 season against the Tennessee Titans.

Pittsburgh's only other inside linebacker on the roster outside of Queen, Wilson and Holcomb is seventh-round rookie Carson Bruener, who has played just one defensive snap all year and has primarily filled a role on special teams.

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