The Pittsburgh Steelers signed ILB Cole Holcomb to a three-year contract to be a starter in 2023. He has thus far played half a season, and there are serious questions about his roster status in 2025. But the good news is, there do not appear to be any questions about his health.
Holcomb suffered a severe injury in Week 8 of the 2023 season, one serious enough for him to question his future not just with the Steelers but in the NFL. He began training camp on the PUP list and never came off it.
However, he reportedly spent a lot of time working out during the final months of the season. Toward the end, the Steelers opened the 21-day practice window for Cole Holcomb and other players on reserve lists. Unlike what was perhaps the case for some others, though, that was more than routine.
“Unfortunately, the season didn’t continue for us, but Cole [Holcomb] could’ve helped us in the playoffs”, Steelers GM Omar Khan told reporters Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. I don’t think we need to speculate what he means by him helping them, or so I hope. It seems pretty clear to me that Khan meant Holcomb was physically ready to play football.
That’s a big deal, because now at least we can have the conversation. Cole Holcomb proving he is healthy was just the first part of determining his future with the Steelers. There is also the matter of the depth chart, as well as his contract. For what his role would likely be as we sit here today, he is projected to earn quite a bit.
Not knowing whether Holcomb would play, the Steelers advanced on the inside linebacker position last offseason. In addition to signing Patrick Queen in free agency, they drafted Payton Wilson. Those are the Steelers’ projected starting linebackers going into next season, though they need depth.
There is another factor: Elandon Roberts is a pending free agent, coming off a two-year, $7 million deal. The Steelers are on the books for $6 million for Cole Holcomb right now. Would they keep Holcomb and let Roberts walk—perhaps approaching him about a salary cut? Might they consider retaining both, along with special teamer Mark Robinson?
Cole Holcomb hasn’t been a special teamer since his rookie season, though he did play them a bit for the Steelers in 2023. Roberts doesn’t play a ton of special teams, but does play on some units, averaging about 100 snaps.
Most teams get a lot of special teams snaps out of their inside linebackers, and the Steelers are no different, so would Holcomb or Roberts be willing to take on a bigger special teams role? If Payton Wilson is starting, how much would they ask him to play after logging 301 special teams snaps as a rookie?
At least with Omar Khan confirming that Cole Holcomb is healthy, the Steelers’ situation is clear. The next step is deciding whether he is still worth $6 million to them right now on their roster. And if he isn’t worth that price, is there a possibility of lowering that amount? Finally, what is his value relative to the alternatives, like re-signing Roberts? They have a couple weeks to figure this out.
