Steelers name rookie T.J. Watt as the starter over James Harrison

J.J. Watt's little brother will start immediately while Harrison slides into a relief pitcher role

The torch has officially been passed in Pittsburgh. On Tuesday, the Steelers named rookie T.J. Watt as their starting right outside linebacker, the position that also belongs to James Harrison, which means Harrison will come off the bench.

"He's been in that position really since Day 0," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Watt, per ESPN. "You don't like to anoint people. You like to watch them earn it. We didn't put it on paper. But it won't be like he'll be in a new position when he gets here on Wednesday. He'll be in the same spot in the huddle he was in yesterday."

This shouldn't come as a surprise, namely because Watt is a 22-year-old first-round pick and Harrison is a 39-year-old veteran with 14 NFL seasons behind him. Watt is the future. Harrison is definitely still an important contributor for a team that fancies itself as a Super Bowl contender, but he's not going to be manning the right edge for that much longer.

It also makes sense because Joey Porter, the team's outside linebackers coach, basically let the news slip last month when he called Harrison a "relief pitcher."

"That's why he's here; he's going to fight it," Porter told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the time. "But his role is his role. He's a relief pitcher. Until we need you, the young guys are going to play. You're a good safety net to have; if somebody's not getting the job done, we happen to know we have a wily veteran that we can put into the game. But to be honest going in, we have two young first-rounders who shouldn't be tired. And when they do get tired, we'll make the adjustments we need to.

"I know the old guy wants to play but at the same time it's hard to get in there if those guys are doing the job. If they're doing their job and they're playing at a high level, the understanding is understood. You don't have to explain anything that you can see right there on tape."

On his part, Harrison said he would do "whatever they want me to do."

Watt was impressive this preseason, registering two sacks in his debut. But don't be surprised to see Harrison filling in frequently. After all, Harrison has notched at least five sacks in each of the past three seasons. And in three playoff games a season ago, he racked up 2.5 sacks and 15 tackles. He might be a relief pitcher, but he'll be one of the best relievers in the game.