Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: ILB Myles Jack
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: The veteran inside linebacker elected to come out of retirement when the opportunity arose to return for the Steelers after they released him earlier this offseason due to his high salary. Currently signed to the practice squad, he could have an opportunity to get back on the field after getting back into football shape.
It may have seemed like a silly notion at first to suggest the possibility of the Steelers expressing interest in Myles Jack, a player whom they cut only to later retire a couple months ago. Yet after two critical injuries at the inside linebacker position, he is back inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and working toward contributing to pick up the slack in the defense.
Originally signed in 2022 as a free agent on a two-year, $16 million contract, Jack started out well enough before injuries became an issue. The Steelers released him earlier this year rather than pay him $8 million, and he’s likely making the veteran minimum salary at the moment.
Now, they have already added two veteran linebackers to the 53-man roster since Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander went down. Mykal Walker is currently listed in the starting lineup, but we could see Blake Martinez compete for that job, or at least for snaps.
Of the three more recent additions, though, the only one who really knows the defense is Jack, since he ran it last year. While he would require the shortest mental acclimation period, he hasn’t been keeping himself in game shape since retiring in August.
Given that the coaches saw fit to give Mark Robinson zero defensive snaps in their last game, it wouldn’t hurt to have another veteran inside linebacker on the roster whom they might trust more to be where they need him to be and do what they need him to do.
He will have to work his way into the mix from a physical perspective before he even earns himself a spot on the 53-man roster. They won’t need him there any sooner than his ability to contribute in an NFL game would allow.
In the meantime, he can help provide some assistance in getting Martinez and Walker up to speed on what head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin like to do, although he is new to inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry, hired this offseason.
