After a subpar year out of the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker core featuring Myles Jack, Robert Spillane and Devin Bush, the team overhauled the position this offseason. The first step to doing so was adding former Washington Commanders linebacker Cole Holcomb on a three-year deal. There’s no doubt that there’s some risk involved with the deal, as Holcomb is coming off a foot injury that’s kept him still a bit limited throughout OTAs. But when healthy, Holcomb has been an incredibly productive run-stopper, one of the best in the NFL. While Patrick Peterson has garnered the most hype this offseason, there’s a solid chance that Holcomb turns out to be the most productive free-agent addition this offseason.
Holcomb isn’t going to make an impact as a coverage guy. That’s not his strength. It’s one of the reasons why the Steelers brought in Keanu Neal this offseason, to serve as a subpackage linebacker who can help in coverage.
But Holcomb was 10th in the NFL in total tackles in 2021 with 142, and he had racked up 69 in seven games before going down with his foot injury last season. That’s well over half the production that Jack had in 15 games, although it’s fair to note that he was dealing with an injury of his own and snaps were limited in his final three games.
But the point is that Holcomb is a talented run stuffer. With Pittsburgh’s defensive line, guys like Keeanu Benton, Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi can be space-eaters on defense and allow Holcomb to get downhill and make plays at or near the line of scrimmage. Too often Pittsburgh’s linebackers have been timid and wait for the running back to come to them to make plays. He’s more athletic than Pittsburgh’s linebackers have been recently as well.
If Holcomb can stay healthy, and he seems to be tracking to get back to full participation relatively soon, he could be the type of player the Steelers haven’t had at linebacker in a while. The fear that Pittsburgh is just repeating their process of bringing in retread linebackers who aren’t true difference-makers is a real concern, but Holcomb feels different.
While he’ll be the same age Jack was last season, he only has four years of tread on his tires, while Jack had six prior to signing with Pittsburgh. He has a nose for the football and could really be a difference-maker when it comes to stopping the run.
The concern across the board with the Steelers’ linebacker corps is going to be coverage, but the team can get creative with how they utilize some of their defensive backs to help reduce that problem. Coming off an injury, Holcomb has an incentive to prove that he’s healthy and still a productive player. With a talented defensive line in front of him, I expect he’s going to make a lot of plays and be a player that definitely surprises some people.
Maybe I’m wrong and Holcomb will be another in a long line of failed experiments at inside linebacker. But he was a respected player in Washington, a captain who wore the green dot and who made a lot of plays in the run game for a pretty good defense. If he can bring that to Pittsburgh and be a guy who gets 130+ tackles and be aggressive and get downhill, the Steelers’ run defense could be among the league’s best.
