Following the 2022 season, Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl identified rather quickly that the franchise needed to reshape itself at the inside linebacker position in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense.
For too many years following the tragic Ryan Shazier injury, the Steelers were getting subpar play from the position. Pittsburgh missed on the Devin Bush selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, in large part due to injury. The experiments with Joe Schobert and Myles Jack weren’t all that successful despite large tackle numbers.
Names like Avery Williamson, Jon Bostic, Sean Spence and more didn’t click either.
That led to Khan and Weidl completely reshaping the inside linebacker room. Additions of veterans Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Kwon Alexander have solidified the inside linebacker room from a physicality standpoint and a leadership aspect. The group was better than expected throughout training camp and the preseason.
Yet, for CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards, the inside linebacker position remains Pittsburgh’s “most pressing need” entering Week One of the 2023 season.
“Linebacker has been and still is an issue for the always consistent AFC franchise,” “Edwards writes. “Cole Holcomb is a high-volume tackler and Elandon Roberts has been a reliable performer during a portion of New England’s run. It is not a high ceiling group, but the Steelers defensive line is one of the best in the league. They will keep some of those blockers off the second-level talent.”
Calling Holcomb a high-volume tackler doesn’t even make sense. Is that an attempt to knock a guy for always being around the football when healthy and making plays? Seems odd.
Over the last two seasons when healthy and on the field, Holcomb played 99 percent of the snaps. He’s a tackling machine, the type of guy you want in the middle of a defense. Find ball, see ball, hit ball. Not sure how that’s a knock on him.
The same goes for Roberts. He’s the ideal BUCK linebacker for the Steelers, very much in the Vince Williams mold. He’s going to fly downhill, strike opponents fast and hard and make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. He brings that physical presence the Steelers have been missing in recent years as they looked for the more athletic, fast, space players instead of the old-school thumpers.
There was very clearly a shift in philosophy for the Steelers at the position this offseason, and so far it’s paid off. That shift continued when the Steelers added Alexander on a one-year deal three days into training camp. He hit the ground running and has added to the physical nature of the room.
We’ll see how it looks if everyone can stay healthy, but this position doesn’t feel like a pressing need overall, at least right now. There are three experienced, leader-like linebackers atop the depth chart for Pittsburgh at the position, and they very clearly like the development and trajectory of second-year linebacker Mark Robinson.
It’s a solid group overall, one that I ranked No. 9 on the Steelers’ roster when ranking the positions for Pittsburgh.
