If actions speak louder than words, then we can safely say the Pittsburgh Steelers were not satisfied with the output of their inside linebacker group last season. Outside of 2022 seventh-round pick Mark Robinson, the entire room from the previous year is gone, Pending the completion of a deal with Kwon Alexander, they have added five veteran free agents to the group.
Yet all that change means uncertainty, discomfort, and unfamiliarity—on both sides. While guys like Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts are in the process of learning what the Steelers want them to do, their coaches are also trying to figure that out themselves.
“That’s where we have to get comfortable”, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said on KDKA’s All-Access program from training camp during an interview segment with Rich Walsh. “We do, based on their body of work before. We know that they can handle it, [Cole] and Elandon, but until they get familiar with us, once we get our comfort level with them, then we’ll feel good about it. but I don’t have any reservations that one of those guys will be able to do it”.
Last year’s starters, at least at the outset, were Devin Bush and Myles Jack, a former top-10 pick in the case of the former, the latter being a former high draft pick himself and a quality starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars before being released earlier that offseason.
Robert Spillane also played a key role throughout the year, eventually basically moving into the starting lineup. Jack dealt with an accumulation of injuries over the course of the season that limited him in the second half, while Bush was essentially benched by the end of the year. Even Robinson was playing ahead of him.
Now the Steelers have Holcomb and Roberts at the top of the depth chart, neither of whom are household names or perennial Pro Bowlers, but rather serviceable veterans, provided that they are healthy. Assuming they finalize the deal for Alexander, he could also factor into the mix as starters—the report of his pending signing came after the interview in question.
The Steelers also brought in Tanner Muse and Nick Kwiatkoski, another pair of veterans on opposite ends of their careers, of sorts. Both are former reasonably high draft picks, but Muse is younger and still waiting for his opportunity for more playing time on defense while performing on special teams. Kwiatkoski is a former starter who has primarily played on special teams the past couple seasons.
Of the four veterans already previously signed, Kwiatkoski would figure to be the one most vulnerable to missing the roster. He was only signed after working out for the team during OTAs, well after the draft. The others were signed prior to the draft.
Still, the reality is that unless Robinson manages to work his way into the starting lineup, whoever is running the middle of the defense is going to be new to the team and new to the system. And even Robinson doesn’t have any familiarity running the system.
