After being decimated by injuries to their inside linebacker room, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought Myles Jack out of retirement and signed him to the practice squad. Jack made his season debut in Pittsburgh’s Week 16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and played well in extended snaps after an injury to Elandon Roberts. He finished with six total tackles, three of which were solo, a sack and two quarterback hits. Former Steelers DL Chris Hoke, during an appearance on The Cook and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan Thursday, said that’s the best he’s ever seen Jack play in a Steelers uniform.
“He looked better than he looked all year last year. I think he was banged up last year, and I was critical of him and his play last year,” Hoke said. “And that’s the reason why he wasn’t back, because the Steelers felt the same way, but the reality is he looked better this last week than he looked at any time last year, [the] 2022 campaign.”
Jack finished the 2022 season with 104 total tackles and three passes defended, but he didn’t have a sack, forced fumble or interception as Pittsburgh’s inside linebackers failed to generate any splash plays. He struggled with a knee injury for most of the season, and it led to his snaps decreasing down the stretch for the Steelers. With the team overhauling its inside linebacker room in the offseason, Jack was released.
He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in what ended up being a brief stint as he retired shortly after. But the Steelers signed him out of retirement in Week 12, and now with the team fighting for a playoff spot, he’s fresh and ready to contribute. Maybe the time off from the game helped him heal a bit because Hoke is right that he looked like a different player in Week 16 than he did last year. While he was the best option at times in what wasn’t a great inside linebacker room in 2022, he never really stood out and he certainly had his fair share of struggles.
It’s hard to say that he’s definitely going to be a better player after just one game, but his performance was certainly promising. Mike Tomlin ruled Roberts out for Week 17, which means that Jack could start and will likely once again see extended run. It’s a huge game for the Steelers, and they’ll be looking for more of the same from Week 16 out of Jack.
