Giants Add Linebacker Malik Harrison to Practice Squad, Reuniting Him With Former Coach John Harbaugh

New York adds the former Ravens third-round pick to its practice squad, where he's expected to contribute early on special teams.

Linebacker Malik Harrison s reuniting with head coach John Harbaugh with the New York Giants. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The New York Giants again tweaked their practice squad, this time adding former Baltimore Ravens draft pick Malik Harrison, a linebacker who was a third-round pick in 2020 out of Ohio State.

Harrison, who played five seasons for the Ravens — then coached by John Harbaugh — and one season (2025) with the Steelers, has had an interesting path to the NFL.

In 2020, he spent a brief period on the reserve/COVID list. Then, in October 2021, he suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound after being hit by a stray bullet in his left calf outside a Cleveland nightclub during the Ravens’ bye week that season..

The incident landed him on the reserve/non-football injury list, where he spent about a month before returning to action.

Harrison signed a two-year deal with the Steelers as a free agent in March 2025, but landed on injured reserve with a knee injury at the start of the season, missing the first eight weeks of that year.

He was with the Steelers this summer in camp, but after not making the 53-man roster—he was edged out by Cole Holcomb and Carson Bruener for a spot on the Steelers’ core special teams units—Harrison’s contract was terminated.

Overall, he’s appeared in 87 regular-season games with 43 starts and has 215 tackles, two sacks, nine tackles for loss and a pass breakup. His best season came in 2024, his final one with the Ravens, in which he posted career highs in tackles (54), sacks (2.0) and tackles for loss (3).

Besides contributing on defense, Harrison, who reportedly is expected to contribute early in the season, can give the Giants snaps on special teams.

The linebacker has 19 regular-season special teams tackles over his career and put forth some of his best special teams performances for the Ravens earlier in his tenure.

The Giants have put a heavy emphasis on upgrading their special teams units this year, and Harrison figures to be a part of that from the onset.

The Giants will have to make a corresponding move to include Harrison on the practice squad. We will update this article once we receive confirmation of that move.  

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