The Pittsburgh Steelers threw quite a bit at the inside linebacker room this offseason as GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl completely reshaped the room.
Gone are Devin Bush, Myles Jack and Robert Spillane. In are Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Tanner Muse and now Nick Kwiatkoski. It’s a new look, but is the room all that much better?
Time will tell.
Pro Football Focus doesn’t seem to believe the room will be all that much better, ranking the Steelers’ linebacker unit No. 24 overall entering the 2023 season in its latest position rankings piece. Pittsburgh slotted in just ahead of the Washington Commanders at No. 25 and right behind the Arizona Cardinals at No. 23.
The Steelers are the fourth-worst linebacker unit in the AFC, per PFF’s rankings, just in front of the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans. Not great!
“It feels strange to place Steelers linebackers this low, but their unit struggled badly in 2022, carrying the fourth-worst overall grade in the NFL at 51.1. Gone are Devin Bush, Myles Jack and Robert Spillane. Arriving are Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Tanner Muse,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman writes regarding the Steelers’ linebacker rankings Tuesday. “Holcomb is a starting-caliber player who has struggled to stay healthy in two of the past three seasons. Roberts is an excellent blitzer who doesn’t excel at much else, and Muse played well when given a chance in Seattle but has only 125 career defensive snaps to his name.
“The Steelers should have a very good defense this season, but their linebackers are pretty clearly the weakest link of the unit.”
The Steelers’ inside linebackers were the color beige last season. Inoffensive overall, yet terribly bland. Zero splash plays among the group all season long in 2022 for the Black and Gold.
That led to the significant changes within the room.
In his career, Roberts has recorded 456 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception and 10 passes defensed. He’s much better working downhill than dropping into coverage. According to Pro Football Reference, Roberts has allowed 87 receptions (113 targets) for 941 yards and six touchdowns in his six-year career. Quarterbacks have a rating of 108.8 when targeting him.
Those numbers aren’t pretty, but Roberts was signed with one thing in mind: getting downhill against the run and setting the physical tone for a defense that needs that element at the linebacker position once again.
He’s also a factor as a blitzer, which the Steelers have truly been missing at inside linebacker since Vince Williams patrolled the middle of the field for the Black and Gold.
Stylistically and on paper, Roberts is a really good fit for the Steelers. He’ll come off the field in obvious passing situations but will be a two-down linebacker with some high-end special-teams abilities as well. For the price the Steelers paid, it’s a very sound investment at a serious position of need.
As for Holcomb, he struggled with injuries in 2022, playing in just seven games. He recorded 69 tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, and one pass defensed in those seven games for the Commanders.
Holcomb had a breakout season in Washington in 2021, totaling 142 tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one sack, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), seven passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He started all 16 games for the Commanders that season.
In four seasons, Holcomb has seen action in 50 games, starting 48.
Muse profiles as the special teams ace of the group, though he showed flashes late last season when given an opportunity defensively for the Seattle Seahawks. Still, counting on him to do much of anything defensively feels like a bit of a stretch.
Much of the attention for the linebacker room in Pittsburgh will be focused on second-year pro Mark Robinson, who is the key in this room. If the former seventh-round pick takes a significant step forward, the room looks to be in better shape. If not, trouble is on the horizon. He’s a great athlete, plays with his hair on fire and is constantly around the football, but he’s still learning the position after switching from running back and is a bit raw overall.
