Like Cole Holcomb, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Cole Holcomb
Position: Inside Linebacker
Experience: 5 Years
I’m going with Cole Holcomb here as the other inside linebacker I’m talking about with the Steelers’ starters. He was their every-down player before tearing his knee up in the eighth game of the season against the Tennessee Titans.
Signed as an unrestricted free agent to a three-year, $18 million contract, Holcomb only made it to eight games. He had logged 447 snaps up to that point, registering 54 tackles with four for loss. He also had two forced fumbles with one recovery and two passes defensed. His work in coverage needed some fine-tuning, but he was progressing.
This is Holcomb’s second major injury in as many seasons, though. When the Steelers signed him last year, he was still recovering from a foot injury. Head coach Mike Tomlin indicated the team expects him to be ready for the start of next season. He also said he’ll have a clearer picture by OTAs.
Elandon Roberts stepped up big in Holcomb’s absence. He also signed with the Steelers as a free agent last offseason and played through injuries himself. Kwon Alexander also suffered a season-ending injury a week after Holcomb. And he is not under contract for the 2024 season.
The only other linebacker of note under contract is Mark Robinson, whom the coaches haven’t trusted to play much. Unless he takes a sizeable step forward this offseason, I wouldn’t anticipate him being a significant factor moving forward.
But the reality is the Steelers don’t know what they have in Holcomb anymore. They only got half a season out of him in the first place. When will he be healthy, and what will he look like on the field when he is? These are the things the front office has to think about this offseason. It should color how they decide to tackle the inside linebacker position over the next few months.
