Late in the first quarter of the Thursday night matchup between the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, veteran linebacker Cole Holcomb went down with a rather gruesome leg injury. That injury ultimately ended up being season-ending as the Steelers placed him on Injured Reserve Monday morning, taking a key piece away from the Steelers’ defense.
Holcomb was part of a strong three-headed monster at inside linebacker with Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts, but now that trio is a duo. That could afford second-year linebacker Mark Robinson to see extended playing time following Holcomb’s injury, though it remains unclear what the Steelers will do at the position moving forward.
For Robinson, speaking with Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley Monday from the locker room inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, he’s not getting ahead of himself when it comes to an opportunity or not. Instead, he’s focusing on what he’s done all season, that being preparing and keeping his head down and working.
“We don’t get ahead of ourselves,” Robinson said to Varley, according to Steelers.com. “If it’s my time, it will be my time. If not, I just have to keep on doing what I am doing now and that is preparing myself.”
With Holcomb lost for the season, the Steelers are going to need to find a way to replace a guy who was playing between 73-90% of the snaps throughout the season defensively, finishing his 2023 season with the Steelers at 76.4% of snaps played defensively.
Having names like Alexander and Roberts at inside linebacker is huge as it helps the Steelers deal with the blow of losing Holcomb a bit better than they would have been able to in the past seeing a starting linebacker go down with a long-term injury. But they still have to find a way to replace Holcomb’s reps.
That could be through Robinson, who has played just four defensive snaps all season, with those coming on the road in Week Three against the Las Vegas Raiders, and has just 48 total defensive snaps under his belt in the NFL.
That could also be through practice squad linebacker Mykal Walker, who signed to the Steelers’ practice squad last Monday and brings a bunch of experience to the table. Walker last played in 2022, starting 12 games for the Atlanta Falcons. He recorded 107 tackles with two interceptions for the Falcons that season, playing nearly 800 defensive snaps.
The Steelers could also go outside of the organization to add some depth following the loss of Holcomb. But if Robinson is the one called upon, he’ll be ready. He’s focused on his preparation and work throughout the week all season long and has impressed the defensive coaching staff. Opportunity knocks now with the Holcomb injury. We’ll see if he’s the next man up.
