The Pittsburgh Steelers are most of the way through the first part of the offseason leading to the draft. Before we get there, we’re going to take stock of how the roster has evolved over the past several weeks. Position by position, we’ll break down who’s coming and going and what’s next, for those rookies and those already here.
Position: Inside Linebacker
Total Positional Figure: 6
Offseason Additions: 1
Offseason Deletions: 2
Players Retained:
Elandon Roberts: A presumptive starter for 2024 at least unless or until Cole Holcomb resumes that role, Roberts established himself as a leader last year. He plays hard, smart, and physical, and with a lot of heart. While he has some athletic limitations, he doesn’t lack for confidence as a complete linebacker.
Cole Holcomb: Signed to a three-year, $18 million deal last season, Holcomb suffered a significant knee injury in the middle of the year. The Steelers have only offered vague updates about him since then, including yesterday. If he can make it back, he presumably takes over a starting role or at least works into the rotation.
Mark Robinson: Going into his third season, Mark Robinson is a fan favorite who may only ascend that far. A converted running back, he was a seventh-round pick upon whom many fan hopes were placed. Right now, his role is just playing on special teams, and with the current pecking order, that probably doesn’t change.
Kyron Johnson: A guy who’s easy to forget about, Johnson played about 100 special teams snaps in just six games. For that reason alone, he may have an outside chance of sticking. The Steelers lost some special teams players from a year ago, though more of a gunner/jammer type.
Tyler Murray: A converted safety, Murray spent the year on the practice squad, where he remained. The Steelers initially talked about potentially promoting him when injuries hit the linebacker position, but they went in other directions. They ended up signing veterans, ultimately returning to Myles Jack.
Players Added:
Patrick Queen: Kind of burying the lede here putting Patrick Queen all the way this far down the page, but that’s how it works. Queen is the biggest offseason addition for this team, barring one of the quarterbacks taking off. Certainly from an economic perspective, the Steelers broke from their norms to bring in potentially a new franchise piece in the middle of the defense. And they did so while avoiding paying top-of-the-market prices.
Players Deleted:
Kwon Alexander: No surprise Alexander remains unsigned after suffering a major Achilles injury midseason. Once healthy later on the year, I could see the Steelers phoning him and seeing how he’s doing.
Mykal Walker: Walker ended up signing elsewhere in free agency, but I doubt the Steelers offered him anything. He played a lot after the injuries arose, but his struggles were obvious to opponents, who repeatedly exploited them.
Notes And Draft Outlook:
Most people seem pretty confident the Steelers are going to draft an inside linebacker, and perhaps they will. Personally, I think it’s a lesser priority on the whole, and I don’t think this draft class is particularly suitable. The Steelers have Queen and Roberts to start, and may have Holcomb, even Alexander, by the start of the year. Robinson is still a contributor when they need him even if he is not a starter. And there always the Nick Kwiatkoskis of the world to sign after the draft should they fail to take an inside linebacker.
