The Pittsburgh Steelers are taking another swing at the inside linebacker position this year, turning over the room almost entirely from last season and bringing in veterans from the outside. The starting duo for the 2023 season is expected to be Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts, both signed as unrestricted free agents.
Even though Holcomb has been limited on the field as a precaution while working back from a foot injury, however, the two veterans are already forging a bond off the field—even if it’s driven by football, their shared passion.
“Off the field, we’re gonna kick it together”, he told reporters yesterday, according to Amanda Godsey of the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. “Maybe when we kick together this weekend, I’ll be like, “Hey, Cole, you know what? Let’s talk about, like, golf or something. Let’s get off football’. I talk about it all the time, so to hear Cole talk about it all the time, it’d be kind of funny. This weekend, we’ll talk about golf or something”.
Because it’s been all ball, all the time since they got here. Holcomb, a fifth-year veteran, spent his career up to this point in Washington. Roberts was originally in New England, spending four years there before going to Miami for the past three years. Though they’ve been on different teams, their shared experiences have been the basis for “a great relationship”, Roberts said.
“We hung out yesterday. On the field, I feel like he’s right next to me. I can hear him”, he said of Holcomb. “I come inside, like, ‘What’d you see? How do you feel about this? If you were out there, how would you do this?’. We’re picking each other’s brains. Cole’s a very smart linebacker”.
As we’ve talked about, Holcomb missed most of the 2022 season due to a foot injury, and he had surgery on it late in the year. The Steelers are taking it slow and being extra cautious by limiting his work now with an eye toward his being a full participant when training camp opens.
But don’t let that allow you to think he’s been complacent. “Cole’s been a pro. He’s not off to the side right now”, Roberts said. “He’s very engaged. We’re talking after everything we do, with the whole linebacking corps”.
That linebacking corps looks very different from a year ago, with the only holdover from the 53-man roster being Mark Robinson, a seventh-round pick who played sparingly last season as a rookie. In addition to Holcomb and Roberts, the Steelers also brought in veteran special teamer Tanner Muse. Chapelle Russell returns from last year’s practice squad, while rookie fourth-round pick Nick Herbig could see some time inside as well.
But the 2023 season is looking to be about Holcomb and Roberts, the guys they’re paying. Granted, neither are breaking the bank in the grand scheme of things, but they are the ones who were brought in as starters. And they are already building that rapport together that should hopefully serve them well on the field.
