New Pittsburgh Steelers ILB Kwon Alexander is looking to get up to speed quickly to show he can make an impact and compete for a starting job. On Training Camp Wrap-Up via Steelers.com, Alexander told Missi Matthews and Craig Wolfley that he’ll be able to pick up on the new terminology quickly.
“It’s not gonna be a problem man. I’m a smart guy. I can pick up things a lot quickly. I’m year nine, so most of the stuff is kind of the same. Just learning the new words, like the terminologies are very different, but once you pick those, it’ll be easy from there,” Alexander said.
As a guy who’s been in the league a long time and has played for four teams already, he’s used to the process of getting ramped up and learning new terminology and differences between teams on the fly. He also signed with the New York Jets after training camp began last season, so despite joining the team late, he’s proven he can get up to speed fast.
The quicker Alexander can show his readiness and familiarity with the terminology, the better chance he has of beating out Elandon Roberts for the second inside linebacker spot. While the entire inside linebacker group is overhauled from last season except for Mark Robinson, Cole Holcomb and Roberts have been with the team since March and have had more offseason work with Pittsburgh to get familiar with the defense.
But like Alexander said, he’s a veteran and he’s used to this sort of thing, so it shouldn’t be too much of a hindrance to finding a role on the roster. Even if he doesn’t beat out Roberts, he’ll still see good playing time as the team’s third inside linebacker, as the team rotated Robert Spillane in fairly often last season.
In addition, Alexander is better in coverage than any of Pittsburgh’s current options at the position, so if the team doesn’t shift Keanu Neal down into a dime backer role, Alexander could be the go-to option to cover running backs and tight ends when needed.
Alexander was a great pickup late in the process to add competition and shore up one of the Steelers’ weakest position groups.
A proven veteran who has battled back from numerous serious injuries to still become a productive player who is also a good locker room presence, Alexander should be someone who can make an impact one way or another in Pittsburgh. Jonathan Heitritter said it best when he called the move a low-risk/medium-reward pickup. Alexander won’t set on the world on fire, but he can be a solid veteran to solidify the unit.
