Pittsburgh Steelers' Career Years—Top Twenty Outside Linebackers

By John Turney

Outside linebacker is a legacy position for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Jack Ham, Kevin Greene, T.J. Watt, James Harrison, Greg Lloyd, Joey Porter ... you name it. The list of decorated outside linebackers is long -- particularly after the Steelers switched from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 in 1982. In fact, since then, only the Philadelphia Eagles sacked more quarterbacks than the men from Steel City.

So which season among outside linebackers from either scheme ranks first in Steelers' history? I'm about to tell you.

I took the top season from each player -- one per customer -- and ranked it by using a variety of criteria, including the "eye test," individual statistics, post-season honors and team success.

Here's the list:

20. (tie) Dirt Winston 1979; and Marv Matuszak, 1953—Winston only started one year for the Steel Curtain defense. That year he was third on the team in tackles with 97, intercepted three balls and recovered three plus he defensed six passes. One of his interceptions was a pick-six.

He was not slated to be a starter but when Robin Cole got injured the right linebacker position was his. 

In the playoffs when he filled in for Jack Ham who was banged up and added another interception and played well in Super Bowl XIV as well making seven total tackles.

It was a good year for someone who was a middle linebacker by trade plus anyone named "Dirt" needs to be on this list. John Madden would have loved that nickname.

Marv Matuszak was a long-time NFL player sometimes good sometimes average. His rookie year, playing in a 5-3 he was solid and went to a Pro Bowl in 1953. He didn't sustain it in Pittsburgh and went to the 49ers and then to the Colts (with a stint with the Packers) and played well. 

In 1953 the Steelers defense was good and the 6-3, 232-pound rookie was excellent.

19. Jason Worilds, 2013—Undersized -- just over 6-1 and around 245 pounds -- but he was fairly effective. He broke out in 2013 as a replacement for James Harrison who was getting long in the tooth and who signed with the Bengals. He made 63 tackles, and had eight sacks (leading the team). The analytics site Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave him credit for 50 total pressures. He forced two fumbles as well. 

His 2014 was very similar but he went with 2013 but really, either could be his career year.

He performed solidly the next season but abruptly retired in March of 2015 to "pursue other interests" which turned out to be devoting his time to working for his Jehovah’s Witnesses religion.

At the time Worilds was an unrestricted free agent and would have been offered a $6-8 million a year contract showing quite a sacrifice for his faith. Good for him. 

18. Carlos Emmons, 1999—Emmons took over the right outside linebacker position from Greg Lloyd who'd lost a lot of his production after a 1996 knee injury (patella tendon tear). Emmons stepped in and in his second year as a starter had a career year which he parlayed into a big raise in 2000 by signing a four-year $ 7 million deal with the Eagles.

He had six sacks among his 67 tackles and picked off a pass, forced a fumble and recovered thee. Not a great year but good enough to make this list.

17. Clark Haggans, 2005—Sadly, Haggans passed away last month at the age of 46. He was a solid player and in 2005 made 61 tackles including nine sacks. He recovered two fumbles and forced four. 

he started all four playoff games as the Steelers won the Super Bowl. In the big game, Haggans sacked Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the opening drive.

Haggans was about average size among the Steelers' rushers in the 1990s and 2000s and maybe the slowest -- being time in 4.97 in the forty-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He compensated with good strength and technique. 

15 (tie). Robin Cole, 1982; and Bryan Hinkle, 1984 —Cole's five sacks in 1982 are not a lot, but, when you account for it as a strike-shortened season, it projects to nine over 16 games. It was Cole's first year in the 3-4 scheme, and the player who held the right-linebacker spot in the previous scheme transitioned well.

Hinkle took over for Cole at right outside linebacker (Cole had moved inside), and his numbers -- 55 tackles, 5-1/2 sacks -- also seem modest. But he played inside on a lot of passing downs, especially after Jack Lambert was out, intercepted three passes and had a fumble recovery returned for a TD.

Neither Cole nor Hinkle had much in the way of size. Cole was 6-2, 220 pounds and Hinkle was about the same weight and an inch shorter. But both were solid and helped the Steelers move from a three-linebacker unit to one that featured four.

14. John Reger, 1961—He played a little at middle linebacker early in his career, found his place as a right-side linebacker in the late 1950s and became a very good player. He was second-team All-Pro in 1959-61 and went to the Pro Bowl in those years. 

I picked 1961 because he was one of the top two players on a team that was first in the NFL vs. the run and second in total defense.

13. Bud Dupree, 2019—It was a good year for Duperee, with 68 tackles, 11-1/2 sacks, nine tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. According to Sports Information Solutions (SIS), he also had 52 quarterback pressures. Dupree was probably the biggest in the long line of Steelers' rush backers at 6-4 and nearly 270 pounds.

12. Alex Highsmith, 2022—He had 64 tackles, 14 sacks, a league-leading five forced fumbles and 52 quarterback pressures per SIS. His performance landed him on the Writers' All-AFC team, and in Week 10 he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

11. LaMarr Woodley, 2009—He was second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in his career year. His 20 tackles for loss led the NFL, and PFF charted him with 60 total pressures. He had 62 tackles, 13-1/2 sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. In Week 16 he was the AFC's Defensive Player of the Week.

10. Andy Russell, 1974—Russell was All-Pro in 1975 and a second-team All-Pro in two other seasons, but 1974 seems to be the best overall year.He had 82 tackles (10 for losses), four sacks, five passes deflected, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and was named All-AFC.

Other seasons were considered. In fact, in addition to 1975, almost every year from 1968-73 could have been chosen as his career season.  Russell was that reliable year in and year out.

9. Jason Gildon, 2001—It came down to two years, with 2000 the other consideration. But I picked 2001 when he was first-team All-Pro, went to his second Pro Bowl and was the Week Nine AFC Defensive Player of the Week. 

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy made 56 tackles, forced three fumbles, deflected eight passes, and recovered a pair of fumbles -- returning one for a touchdown. His 12 sacks tied for ninth in the NFL.

8. Chad Brown, 1996—After starting his career as an inside linebacker, Brown moved outside after star linebacker Greg Lloyd was injured in the first game. Because Brown his first three seasons played on the edge in passing situations, it wasn't a big change.

In truth, he preferred being outside, and it showed. He responded with 81 tackles and 13 sacks. He also defensed eight passes, forced three fumbles, had two fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions. And he did all of that playing with an injured ankle the last month of the season.

He was a first-team All-Pro, a Pro Bowler and fourth in the AP Defensive-Player-of-the-Year voting. Furthermore, his career-year performance earned him a big-money contract with Seattle the following year.

7. Joey Porter, 2002—Porter was more than just an edge rusher. He'd drop into coverage more than most 'backers on this list, as his 2002 performance demonstrated. He intercepted four passes and was credited with 10 passes defensed, had nine sacks, made 89 tackles and forced two fumbles. 

His post-season honors included first-team All-Pro and snagging a Pro Bowl slot. He was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week the second week of the season and was recognized as the Steelers' MVP.

6. Mike Merriweather, 1984—He was the first big-time rusher for the Steelers after they moved to a 3-4 defense in 1982. In his top year, 1984, he recorded 15 sacks, setting a linebacker team record that would last 24 years. Merriweather made 101 tackles, picked off two passes defensed 11 more, and forced two fumbles -- one of which he recovered.

NFL Films called the 6-2, 230-pound linebacker "the Pied Piper of the Pittsburgh pass rush." Given how much time he spent in coverage, it's remarkable that he had so many sacks -- with most coming on blitzes. 

5. Kevin Greene, 1994—The long-haired blonde was terrific in 1994, his best year as a Steeler. He led the NFL in sacks with 14, made 69 tackles (eight for losses), forced a fumble and fell on three. He was first-team All-Pro, a Pro Bowler and the Week Five AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In addition, the Players' Association voted him the AFC co-Linebacker of the Year. 

4. Greg Lloyd, 1995—If Lloyd's knees hadn't deteriorated, he probably would've strung together a few more great seasons and be in the Hall of Fame. The undersized (6-2, 228) sixth-round pick out of Ft. Valley State went to five straight Pro Bowls (1991-95) and was a first-team All-Pro from 1993-95.

Any of those seasons could be considered his career year.

But I'm going with 1995. He had more sacks in 1994, but he did a lot more than rush the passer one year later. He made 116 tackles, tied for an NFL-best six forced fumbles and was credited by Steelers' coaches with 18 tackles for loss. He also had a career-high three interceptions, defensed four passes and was credited with 6-1/2 sacks.

When the Steelers went to six-defensive back packages he became an inside linebacker with Greene and Chad Brown usually on the edges -- proof that he'd become a complete player.

In 1991-92 he had double-digits in tackles for loss (does not include sacks) but in the sub defenses he played left defensive end. That allowed him more opportunities to make plays in the backfield, which was good. But he wasn't as complete a player as he was later.

3. James Harrison, 2008—He was short (6-0) and powerful and the NFL's best defender. The AP's Defensive Player of the Year, Harrison was also the Steelers' MVP and a consensus All-Pro in a season where his 16 sacks were fourth in the NFL and he led the league with seven forced fumbles. 

In all, the 2002 undrafted free agent made 101 tackles, recorded a safety and even stole an enemy pass. Pro Football Focus credited him with 57 pressures - his career high.  One independent scouting firm ranked him first in the NFL among all players at his position, and twice he won NFL/AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Later, in Super Bowl XLIII, he cut in front of a Kurt Warner pass at the goal line and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown -- a play that Dick Lebeau, then the Steelers' defensive coordinator, called "the greatest single defensive play in Super Bowl history." 

2. T.J. Watt, 2021—Like Harrison, Watt was an AP Defensive Player of the Year, consensus All-Pro, Pro Bowler and All-AFC in his career season. Three times he was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week and, like Porter and Harrison, voted the team MVP. 

He tied the official league record with 22-1/2 sacks, made 64 tackles, forced five fumbles, deflected seven passes and had 69 pressures (SIS), with much of the damage as a defensive end in nickel-and-dime packages. 

By contrast, early in his career he dropped into coverage an estimated 15-20 percent of the time. But that declined as he became a pass-rush weapon.  Incredibly, Watt's performance was achieved despite missing a couple of games and parts of a couple more. 

1. Jack Ham, 1975—He was so consistently great that any of a number of years could be considered his best. In his first four pro years, he picked off 16 passes, more than any linebacker in the NFL. But 1975, quarterbacks quit challenging him.

It was that season that the man from Linebacker U. had 88 tackles, three sacks and an interception. Granted, he had better stats in other years, but Ham is one of those players who is more than the sum of his statistics.

He was a player that had to be seen to appreciate his greatness.

He played superb football from Week One through the playoffs, particularly in the divisional playoff game vs. the Colts when he had a sack, a 13-yard tackle for a loss and a deflected a pass as the Steelers went on to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Pro Football Weekly named him its Defensive Player of the Year, though the AP award went to teammate Mel Blount. Ham had all the accolades you'd expect in a career year -- making all the "all" teams. "Dobre Shunka" ("The Great Ham" in Polish, Ham's heritage) could do everything a linebacker should. 

He wouldn't get hooked on runs to his side. He could take on a tight end or running back in man-to-man coverage. He could break on balls when in zone coverage. He could blitz effectively, all within the structure of the defense.

Instincts were what set Ham apart from other linebackers. He wasn't big (6-1, 225 pounds), extraordinarily fast (he ran a 4.7 40) or strong ("I don't rely that much on weights"), but he was quick and intuitive on the football field. Plus, he was more than a good tackler. He was a striker who would pop people.

"He's a defensive player that makes things happen," said Hall-of-Fame coach Chuck Noll. "Even though he's on defense, he's an offensive threat."

His 1975 season was the best by a Steelers' outside linebacker.