The Pittsburgh Steelers went into last offseason with a clear objective: overhaul the inside linebacker room. Overhaul they did, seeing the likes of Myles Jack, Devin Bush, Robert Spillane, and Marcus Allen walk out the door as they brought in Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander to pair with second-year linebacker Mark Robinson for 2023.
The renovation of the inside linebacker room has already yielded positive results as Pittsburgh has multiple guys that play the aggressor role on defense, flying around to the football making big hits in the backfield as well as in space. Roberts was commended by Jason McCourty on Good Morning Football last week for his big run stuff against the Cleveland Browns. McCourty returned to Pittsburgh this week to praise Holcomb for his massive hit on WR Davante Adams Sunday night against Las Vegas, naming it one of his top defensive plays of Week Three.
“Cole Holcomb, this is straight old school,” McCourty said about Holcomb’s hit on the NFL Network. “I kinda call this like burp the baby. Like, you’re coming across. He going to catch the ball, and there’s just that moment right there. I remember when Jamaal Williams was on our show and he talked about when he would hit a guy and chip him, and as soon as you hit him, you’d hear the air go out of him. And that was that hit right there. I felt bad for Davante Adams. He took a moment on the ground, had to gather himself.”
The play occurred at the start of the third quarter with Pittsburgh leading 13-7 and the ball on Las Vegas’ 25-yard line. QB Jimmy Garoppolo dropped back to pass and targeted Adams in the middle of the field, throwing the ball up in the air. Adams leaped up to catch the ball, but Holcomb delivered a bone-crushing hit to Adams’ midsection to break up the pass. A flag was initially thrown on the play, but after review Holcomb wasn’t called for unnecessary roughness.
Holcomb was commended by announcer Cris Collinsworth after the hit, being lauded for bringing back that physical brand of football that Pittsburgh has missed at the position for some time.
“We’re back to 70’s football right here,” Collinsworth said on the game call Sunday night. This was a huge shot… that’s a perfect hit. That is absolutely a perfect hit.”
For the last several years, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing Pittsburgh’s inside linebackers struggle to get off blocks and invite contact. This season, we have seen that group take on more of the identity of being the hammer rather than the nail, delivering big hits on runners, quarterbacks, and pass catchers coming over the middle like we witnessed on that play. This is what the Steelers are known for going back through their storied history, and it’s refreshing to see Holcomb and the rest of the room embodying that identity to start the 2023 season.
Holcomb signed a three-year deal this offseason, coming off a 2022 campaign that was cut short due to a foot injury. He’s fully healthy now and looks to be playing good football, having 18 total tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup through three games. It looks like the Steelers may have finally found a free agent addition at inside linebacker they can count on going forward. Holcomb has already brought the splash back to Pittsburgh’s defense while bringing the physicality and demeanor that you want in an off-ball linebacker.
