Entering the offseason following a rather up-and-down 2022 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers identified the inside linebacker room as a real area of need and general weakness on the roster.
A handful of moves later in free agency, the Steelers look like they have found the right combination for success at the pivotal position defensively.
Veterans Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Kwon Alexander, Tanner Muse and Nick Kwiatkoski were brought in via free agency, and through two preseason matchups the veteran additions look like sound adds. That has former Steelers inside linebacker Ryan Shazier pleased overall with what he’s seeing at a position he once used to hold down for the Black and Gold.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers ever since I’ve been injured – and obviously I don’t like to talk about it that much – we’ve gone through our trials and tribulations with younger linebackers and we had a few older ones. Now they’re like, ‘We’re going to bring in a bunch of veteran linebackers into this linebacker corps’ and you’ve seen the playmaking ability already the last two games,” Shazier said Saturday night on KDKA-TV’s Nightly Sports Call following the Steelers’ 27-15 win over Buffalo. “Cole Holcomb made the tip that allowed us to have the interception. They’re already making a lot of plays, and that’s just one veteran.”
In years past, the Steelers have tried to roll a number of different combinations at inside linebacker after Shazier’s tragic injury in 2017. Names like Devin Bush, Myles Jack, Joe Schobert, Robert Spillane, Avery Williamson, Jon Bostic and Sean Spence have passed through the room with very little success. Communication was an issue, as was playmaking and overall run defense.
So far though with a rebuilt inside linebacker room, things are looking up and certainly garnering plenty of praise and attention from a guy like Shazier.
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