The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of familiar faces returning on both sides of the ball in 2023. But that didn’t stop Omar Khan from making some improvements at particular position groups.
The Steelers inside linebacker corps wasn’t exactly a strength last season. Myles Jack and Devin Bush were pedestrian players who combined for no sacks, and no forced turnovers last season.
There was due to be some turnover at the position as Bush signed with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, while Jack is still a free agent. However, Khan went right to work in bringing in their replacements. He went for a complete overhaul of the position group, signing Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, Nick Kwiatkoski and Tanner Muse to fill the void left by Bush, Jack, and Robert Spillane, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Khan shared his mentality regarding these moves in his press conference today. You can listen to it here.
“We signed the guys that we did just because we felt we had to get better and we think we’re gonna be better with those guys.” Khan said via the team’s YouTube page. “I’m confident in the group that we have there. I’ve said this before, if there’s an opportunity to upgrade a position group, we’re always gonna look at it and if it makes sense, it makes sense.”
Out of the new additions, Roberts and Holcomb expect to see the most time in 2023.
Roberts, who signed a two-year contract, has spent time with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins over his seven-year NFL career, picking up Super Bowl titles with New England in 2016 and 2018. While never known as a speedster, he has displayed a high football IQ throughout his time in the league and picked up four and a half sacks last year for Miami.
Holcomb signed a three-year deal with the Steelers after an up and down first four years with the Washington Commanders. Holcomb was great in 2021, recording 142 total tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. However, he only played in seven games last year, and had season-ending foot surgery midway through the year. He will look to bounce back in Pittsburgh in 2023.
Kwiatkoski likely won’t start this season but could see some snaps in certain packages. He’s bounced around the league a bit but shown some positional versatility that could be useful. Muse likely will fall into a special teams role, but his speed and athleticism could give the linebacking group a different look in spots.
Khan has impressed Steelers fans with his offseason acquisitions, and while it’s too early to say for sure, the inside linebacking group is looking like a solid and versatile unit as we head into 2023.
