In 2023, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a concerted effort to improve their inside linebacker room. Cole Holcomb was one of their bigger signings that offseason. A fifth-round pick by the Washington Commanders in 2019, Holcomb’s play earned him a nice contract from the Steelers. Unfortunately, he suffered a brutal knee injury midway through his first season in Pittsburgh. That forced him to miss the entire 2024 season, too. However, he’s back on the field now, and according to Cam Heyward, his teammates are well aware of what Holcomb overcame just to resume his football career.
“The utmost respect,” Heyward said Thursday via the team’s YouTube channel. “To deal with an injury like that, you’ve got two ways you can go. You can call it a career, or you can try to bounce back. When everybody’s telling you it’s probably done, to come out here and play the way he’s playing, that’s very special. I think we’re all excited to see where he is gonna take us.”
The specifics of Holcomb’s injury are unclear, but with how much time he missed, it had to be extremely serious. Before he was forced off the field, he looked great. In eight starts in 2023, he posted 54 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He helped solidify the middle of Pittsburgh’s defense.
Now, his role with the team could be a little different. The Steelers reworked his contract this offseason, which seems to indicate they still believe in him. However, he hardly has a clear path back into the starting lineup.
Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are poised to be the Steelers’ starters at middle linebacker in 2025. That might help Holcomb get back into the swing of things, though. Missing a year and a half of football is a big deal. Allowing Holcomb to ease back into the game could give him a better chance at success. While teammates have raved about how he looked in OTAs, there’s no telling at what level he can still play.
However, if Holcomb looks like himself, the Steelers could have their best group of inside linebackers in years. They could have solid depth at that position, which could help them down the stretch this year. Their defense wilted to end the 2024 season, so adding more talent should help prevent that from happening again. Hopefully, Holcomb can pick up where he left off in 2023.
