In the last half decade or so, the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to truly find answers at the inside linebacker position. Early in the 2023 season though, they seemed to have found those answers with Cole Holcomb, Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts, all signed in free agency.
Then, devastating injuries decimated the inside linebacker room, causing the Steelers to scramble and try to patchwork things. They got some decent reps down the stretch from guys like former Steeler Myles Jack coming out of retirement and Mykal Walker coming in off the street.
Even names like Mark Robinson and Blake Martinez saw snaps, too.
The Steelers’ defense was able to get just enough from its inside linebacker room late in the season, reaching the AFC Wild Card Round with a patchwork group. Hats off to position coach Aaron Curry but in the offseason ahead of the 2024 season the Steelers still need to find that long-term answer.
Now that the season is behind us, it’s a time for reflection and analysis, and that will focus on my Steelers positional season grades. Today, we’ll review the inside linebackers, taking an individual look at the six players who saw snaps at the position in Holcomb, Alexander, Roberts, Robinson, Walker, Jack and Martinez.
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: QBs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: RBs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: WRs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: TEs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: OTs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: OGs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: C
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: DEs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: NTs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: OLBs
COLE HOLCOMB: GRADE — B
Prior to suffering a serious knee injury late in the first quarter of the Week Nine Thursday Night Football matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Acrisure Stadium, Cole Holcomb was everything the Steelers were expecting when they signed him to a three-year, $18 million deal. Holcomb was a solid contributor against the run, became a vocal leader for the defense while wearing the green dot, and made a number of plays from a splash standpoint.
In the first eight games of the season, Holcomb had 54 tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He was on the field for at least 74% of the snaps in every game to that point, and then it all came to a screeching halt when safety Keanu Neal hit him in the knee with some friendly fire.
Holcomb was quickly placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2023 season. Now, we await updates on his status for the 2024 season. Chances are, he won’t be ready for training camp or the start of the regular season considering the knee injury occurred in late October. That’s a shame because it appeared as though the Steelers had found a key piece at the position.
KWON ALEXANDER: GRADE — C+
When the Steelers signed Kwon Alexander a few days into training camp, it was a buzzworthy addition to the star-studded defense, but it raised some questions about what the former standout linebacker had left in the tank. In a three-man rotation with Holcomb and Elandon Roberts, Alexander rediscovered his game, becoming a valuable piece to the Steelers’ defense from a leadership and physicality standpoint.
But like Holcomb, Alexander went down with a season-ending injury midway through the year. One week after Holcomb was lost for the season, Alexander suffered a torn Achilles tendon – the second time in his career — in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers.
Prior to the injury, Alexander was a good sub-package linebacker, one who was thriving in coverage and as a pass rusher. Though he had issues against the run, Alexander was a playmaker in the passing game, sealing the win over the Titans in Week Nine with a leaping interception at the goal line of rookie quarterback Will Levis. He also had a sack in Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens and had allowed just 19 receptions for 188 yards before getting injured.
He was a liability against the run and missed quite a few tackles in a reserve role, but he was very valuable in coverage in sub-package football. The Steelers missed that once he went down with the injury.
ELANDON ROBERTS: GRADE — B+
When the Steelers signed Roberts to a two-year deal in free agency, I was quite ecstatic. I’ve been a big fan of Roberts’ game since he entered the NFL with the New England Patriots after a strong career at the University of Houston. Finally, the Steelers were able to land him. He rewarded them, too, with some terrific play, especially late in the season when the Steelers were a M*A*S*H* unit at ILB.
Roberts led the Steelers in tackles with 101 on the season, all while playing just over 50% of the snaps. He was an early-down linebacker when Holcomb and Alexander were healthy, coming off the field in passing situations. Against the run, attacking downhill, Roberts was a force. He was an effective blitzer, too, and really set the tone from a physical standpoint.
Roberts added 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the season and was really good against the run. He finished with a grade of 72.6 against the run from Pro Football Focus. However, he missed quite a few tackles on the season (12 tackles, second most on team) and did get injured late in the season with a pectoral injury that limited him some.
But when the Steelers needed him the most, he stepped up in a major way, taking ownership of the inside linebackers room and elevating his play in big way.
MARK ROBINSON: GRADE — C-
It was supposed to be another year of learning and development for Mark Robinson. Early on, that’s exactly what it was. He played primarily on special teams, seeing 66% of the snaps in that area of the game under coordinator Danny Smith. But then injuries hit the linebacker room hard, forcing Robinson onto the field late in the season.
Robinson played 151 snaps for the Steelers and finished with 30 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack on the year. He played much better late in the season, especially in the regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens on the road, recording a sack and helping force a fumble in a sloppy game.
But too often there were issues on tape with Robinson. He was a mess in coverage again, and when he was on the field in passing situations, teams went right at him. He allowed six receptions on six targets for 84 yards and a touchdown, getting beat for a score against Indianapolis on the road in Week 15.
Robinson was solid against the run, playing to his strength of attacking downhill and laying the wood to somebody, but he wasn’t exactly assignment-sound. There was a reason the Steelers brought in a number of guys from the outside to play over Robinson. He wasn’t quite ready, and the team didn’t trust him in a larger role.
His play didn’t exactly prove them wrong, either, making Year Three a big one. Robinson has to take the next step forward.
MYKAL WALKER: GRADE — D-
The interception against the New England Patriots in Week 14 on Thursday Night Football was huge and nearly helped the Steelers come all the way back from an early 21-0 hole, but outside of that, Walker was a real issue.
The former Falcons linebacker was added to the practice squad in October and then elevated due to the injuries to Holcomb and Alexander, giving the Steelers an experienced linebacker. Problem is, he wasn’t all that effective. He struggled in the Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and then had teams challenge him with running backs out of the backfield in the passing game, leading to great success for opponents.
Walker missed a handful of tackles, too, finishing with five on the season despite playing just 26% of the defensive snaps. Walker was also charged with 18 receptions allowed for 220 yards and five touchdowns. That is, well, not good.
He tried to jump onto a moving train and was forced into the lineup rather quickly. At times, he looked solid. More often than not though, he was a mess, and the Steelers had to look elsewhere.
BLAKE MARTINEZ: GRADE — D
There was a lot of fanfare when the Steelers added Blake Martinez to the 53-man roster after signing him off the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad. Martinez was a former high-end linebacker, one who had more than 700 tackles in his career and four seasons of 141 tackles or more early in it.
But after being out of the game, retired for a stretch to sell Pokemon cards, Martinez never found a way to get back to a playable level. He saw 21 snaps for the Steelers defensively in the Week 14 loss to the New England Patriots, recording two tackles. After that, he did not play saw another defensive snap and was mostly a healthy scratch. He played just five special teams snaps for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers did the right thing taking a chance on him, banking on Martinez’s pedigree and experience to help a decimated position group, but Martinez never came close to being an answer.
MYLES JACK: GRADE — C
Myles Jack was quite the story late in the year, coming out of retirement to join the Steelers’ practice squad and ultimately work his way into a starting role. Early on in his second stint with the Steelers, Jack looked good as he was finally healthy again. He was flying around, making plays and giving the Steelers a serious boost on the inside.
Jack played 131 defensive snaps in the final three regular-season games, stepping into the lineup in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He had a sack in the 34-11 win over the Bengals and nearly had an interception in that game. He forced a fumble in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens and then played 26 snaps in the Wild Card Round loss to the Buffalo Bills.
In the Wild Card Round, Jack was beat up the seam on a touchdown by rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid, which may have resulted from a miscommunication but was again a sign of the Steelers just not having answers in the middle of their defense. Jack likely earned another shot with the Steelers in 2024 based on his play, but he shouldn’t be viewed as viable answer overall.
