What’s next for ILB Kwon Alexander now that he’s signed and on the practice field? Well, that’s what’s left to figure out, of course. The Pittsburgh Steelers showed interest in him back in May when they were still adding depth pieces post-draft, though it is worth noting that they did not target him at the start of free agency when they signed Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts.
But head coach Mike Tomlin always tells his players it doesn’t matter how you got here, it matters what you do while you’re here. Now that he is in camp and beginning to pick up and learn the defense, he will have the opportunity to show the coaches what he can do, and they can determine what role he should serve.
What exactly is he up for? “Any kind of role they need me to play, I’m gonna be here, to go out here and do my job and make big plays”, he told reporters yesterday, via the team’s website. A simple but earnest response, even if there aren’t many different directions you can go when asked a question in that vein.
Alexander’s role has varied a bit in more recent years. For most of his career, he was an every-down defender routinely clocking 90-plus percent of the snaps in games for which he was healthy. He has not had that type of role for the past two seasons; in fact, he played under 50 percent of the defensive snaps for the New York Jets in 2022 even though he played in every game, nominally starting 12.
That doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t get that kind of playing time in Pittsburgh, if he earns it. He is arguably as well-rounded and athletic as any other linebacker currently on the roster, though Holcomb has been looking good so far in training camp and would still likely be the every-down backer.
But could he supplant Roberts as one of the starters? Or could they use Roberts on run downs and Alexander on passing downs? They have had a three-man rotation for the past few years, albeit with entirely different people, Robert Spillane being that third linebacker.
No matter how it ends up, it’s a good problem to have, at least compared to where we were a week ago. His addition is a big step toward insulating the depth at the position. Prior to his signing, what would happen if Holcomb were to go down was a glaring question mark. Now Alexander is the answer.
The fact that he has already played in several different systems, even being traded in-season before, should help him get up to speed on what will be asked of him rather quickly. He was already on the field yesterday and should get a good amount of work on Tuesday when the pads come on for the first time during training camp.
