Should the Philadelphia Eagles sign James Harrison?

The Philadelphia Eagles have made a point of signing players with championship experience in 2017, but should they consider Steelers great James Harrison?

It’s official, Philadelphia Eagles are going to the playoffs for the first time in almost half a decade.

Things have really started to click in the second year of the Doug Pederson tenure, and much of that success can be attributed to the team’s commitment to adding players to their roster with Super Bowl experience.

Veterans like Chris Long, LeGarrette Blount, Dannell Ellerbe, and Will Beatty have all helped to bring an aura of professionality to the Eagles locker room and have helped to turn the relatively young team into one of the closest-knit unites in recent memory.

But as the Eagles prepare to make a run at the playoffs behind the arm of backup quarterback Nick Foles, should Howie Roseman and the front office staff consider adding another Super Bowl champion, and probable Hall of Famer to their roster?

On Saturday, December 23rd, the Pittsburg Steelers made noise around the league by cutting 15-year veteran pass rusher James Harrison two days before their Week 16 game against the Houston Texans.

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Now at 39-years old Harrison obviously isn’t the same player he once was, but he’s shown that he can be a productive situational pass rusher off the edge when his number is called.

Over the last four seasons, the former Kent State Golden Eagles has recorded 16.5 sacks, an impressive feat for a player on the wrong side of 35. Even though Harrison hasn’t been a consistent starter in the Steel City since the 2012 season, with only 22 starts in 61 appearances between 2013-2017, that hasn’t slowed down Harrison’s commitment to the game.

Harrison is one of the most committed players in the entire league, with an absolutely insane workout routine, and could serve as an incredible role model young Eagles defenders like Derek Barnett and Timmy Jernigan in a way that no other player on the roster right now could.

Even if he can only contribute sparingly on defense, adding a player of Harrison’s caliber could help to provide a spark to Jim Schwartz‘s defensive line rotation as they prepare for the playoffs. Though this unit has been one of the leagues best all season, having an opportunity to add a consummate professional like Harrison to the team could help to reduce the snap count, and in turn increase the productivity of players like Brandon Graham, Long, and Barnette as they play deep into January.

A move to Philadelphia would also make a lot of sense for Harrison, as he wouldn’t have to travel too far to his new home, and would have an extra week to get acclimated to his new city over the team’s Week 1 playoff bye.

Additionally, adding Harrison to the team’s defensive end rotation likely wouldn’t be particularly challenging, as, for the most part, Schwartz’s scheme doesn’t require its defensive ends to drop into coverage, or memorize complicated zone blitzing schemes like Pittsburg often chooses to deploy. Schwartz’s wide-nine scheme is predicated on the front four providing consistent pressure on every down, while also setting a hard edge against the run.

Though I doubt Harrison would be able to step in on day one and log 80+ snaps at defensive end, a player with 15 years of NFL experience should have no trouble bull rushing off the edge a dozen or so times a game, even with limited practice reps.

When asked for comments on what Harrison plans to do next, his agent, Bill Parise, told ESPN‘s Josina Anderson:

"“There was no animosity or bad feelings. It’s just the business of the NFL,” Parise told ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “I believe he still wants to play. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with waivers. We’ll see what Santa brings us.”"

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Now I’m no general manager, but that sounds to me like a player who wants to compete for another championship before he hangs his cleats up, and if they think he can upgrade the roster, the Philadelphia Eagles should seriously consider bringing in the grizzled future Hall of Famer for one final playoff run in Pennsylvania.

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