One team’s trash could turn out to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ treasure with new inside linebacker Myles Jack.
Shockingly cut early in free agency just one year into a four-year extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jack found himself on the open market unexpectedly and quickly landed in a strong situation with the Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and senior defensive assistant/LB coach Brian Flores.
After struggling in 2021 with the Jaguars leading to some questions about the health of his knees moving forward, Jack is now looking to rebuild his stock overall and get back to the high level of play he showed early in his career, making him one of the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL.
So far in training camp, Jack is off to a very strong start, making waves defensively with his physicality and overall athleticism, drawing praise from new Steelers’ offensive lineman Mason Cole, who signed in free agency one day before Jack. Appearing on 93.7 The Fan Tuesday afternoon with Joe Starkey and Josh Rowntree, Cole praised Jack for flying around, brining energy and making plays in the Steelers’ fast, physical defense.
“Yeah, I think Myles is doing a really good of flying around. With this defense line, we have to have the linebackers that can fly around like Myles Jack and Devin [Bush]; I think it’s important,” Cole said to Starkey and Rowntree, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “And I think Myles does that every day with a lot of energy, too. So it’s been good. It’s been good to go against him.”
So far, Jack has been one of the defensive players to take advantage of the pads coming on, showcasing his physicality, flying around to make big hits on the ball carrier while also looking rather strong in pass coverage as well. While it’s still very early in training camp, Jack is showing signs as a run defender and option in pass coverage of exactly what the Steelers were hoping for when they quickly signed him to the two-year, $12 million deal in free agency.
If Jack can continue his strong play in training camp, carry it over into the preseason and then on into the regular season, the Steelers’ defense could take a significant step forward with a stout inside linebacker back in the fold defensively next to Devin Bush, who is also looking to bounce back and has earned praise from teammates in recent days.
