Entering the offseason ahead of the 2023 season, Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl made it a priority to make major changes to the inside linebackers room.
After a string of disappointing seasons from the group that included the likes of former top-10 draft pick Devin Bush, veteran acquisitions Myles Jack, Joe Schobert and Jon Bostic, and undrafted developmental guy Robert Spillane, the Steelers needed to make changes to the group that was seemingly weighing down a strong defense overall.
That led to Khan and Weidl being rather aggressive in free agency, landing veterans Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts early in the free agency window, before then adding veteran Kwon Alexander a few days into training camp, giving 2022 seventh-round draft pick Mark Robinson some key veterans to learn from and grow under.
Pittsburgh also made a change at the coaching position, bringing in former Seattle Seahawks linebackers coach Aaron Curry to try and jump-start the position group after years under former ILBs coach Jerry Olsavsky.
So far, so good for the linebackers, who have been quite impactful for a star-studded defense. For Curry, it comes down to the mentality the group brings to the table, being willing to do whatever it takes to win games and never backing down from a challenge.
“We just got a group of guys that understands what it takes to play in the division and they willing do whatever it takes,” Curry said entering the Steelers’ Week Six bye week, according to video via Steelers.com. “They are not going to back down from any challenges, whether I challenge them, Coach T[omlin] or their opponents.”
Even though the group is new to the AFC North, the veterans understand what it takes week in, week out from a preparation and physicality standpoint in the NFL. They are bringing that each and every week, setting the tone for the Steelers’ defense more often than not. That’s a welcome change from the previous groups, which felt like passengers at times, rather than the drivers that the veterans in Holcomb, Roberts and Alexander have been.
It helps that they are making impact plays, too.
In the season’s first six games, Alexander, Holcomb and Roberts have combined for 11 tackles for loss, one sack and two forced fumbles, which far exceeds what the Steelers got from their inside linebackers in 2022. That was no more apparent than in the Week Five win at Acrisure Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens.
Combined, the inside linebackers recorded 23 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, two quarterback hurries and a pass defensed in the 17-10 win.
Put simply, the inside linebackers dominated in the heated rivalry, making play after play. They rose to the challenge and — as Curry stated — know what it takes to play in the division. They are bringing a real physical presence to the field every time they step between the white lines, matching what it takes to be a Steelers inside linebacker, historically.
