Earlier this morning, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced their signing of ILB Kwon Alexander, who spent the 2022 season with the New York Jets, where he was coached by Robert Saleh. Saleh was also his defensive coordinator when Alexander played for the San Francisco 49ers, and he had nothing but good things to say about the linebacker.
“I love Kwon. I think he’s a fantastic person. Brings so much juice and energy to the locker room and on the practice field. Always reliable. Love him to death and I’m excited for his opportunity. Pittsburgh definitely got a good player,” Saleh said at his press conference today.
While Alexander isn’t guaranteed any particular role with the Steelers, it’s likely that he’ll slot in as the team’s No. 3 off-ball linebacker to start. He could surpass Elandon Roberts, and his work in coverage certainly is better than Pittsburgh’s prior options at the position. But he won’t have a role guaranteed to him, and he’ll have to battle with Roberts for a starting job.
Alexander was one of the best at his position until a string of injuries hindered his career, but he’s still a productive player, posting 69 tackles with the Jets last season. He’s a big hitter and seemingly a positive locker room presence, which is something you can never have enough of in the NFL.
The signing of Alexander makes the Steelers’ linebacker room look a lot more secure. It was probably their second-shakiest position behind slot cornerback. Now, much like that position, they have a number of guys they can mix in and feel comfortable with. Alexander is a veteran, and he’s a guy Pittsburgh has had its eye on for a while with him coming in for a visit in May.
Alexander will make his debut at Steelers training camp today, as he’s in Latrobe and suited up.
With Cole Holcomb, Roberts, Alexander and Mark Robinson, the Steelers now have four inside linebackers they can feel comfortable with. Nick Kwiatkoski and Tanner Muse will likely now shift to a primary focus on special teams.
All offseason, Omar Khan has preached bringing in as much competition as possible. He’s stayed true to his word, adding starters and depth piece alike to help strengthen the offensive line and revamp the inside linebacker corps. The Steelers are a better team on paper than they were in 2022, and this is a team that could make the playoffs and hopefully break Pittsburgh’s too long postseason win drought.
