He achieved a huge milestone last week in the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers veteran linebacker Cole Holcomb started to really feel like himself.
Returning to action last week for the first time since Week 9 of the 2023 season, Holcomb checked a huge box in his recovery from a gruesome knee injury during the 2023 season that put his career seemingly in jeopardy. But once that hurdle was cleared, it was all about getting back to being the player he wants to be.
Against the Buccaneers, Holcomb took a good step in that direction. Speaking to reporters after the loss to Tampa Bay, Holcomb spoke about the normalcy of playing football again with the second game under his belt.
“Yeah, I mean, for me personally, I just, it felt good. It finally felt…got that first game outta the way, so I kind of could just get back to like that normalcy of playing ball again,” Holcomb said, according to video via Steelers.com. “Last week was a big moment, so my eyes were a little all over the place in the beginning of the game.
“But this week I felt like everything calmed down. I was able to just kind of get back to like, doing my thing and doing what I do.”
Against the Buccaneers, Holcomb was credited with four tackles in 34 snaps, playing 10 more snaps than he did in the preseason opener. Early on in the game, Holcomb made a splash play, shooting through the offensive line to tackle Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving seemingly behind the line of scrimmage, though Irving was ultimately credited with a yard gained.
That play was a clear example of just how explosive Holcomb is now in his return from injury. It was a continuation of a strong training camp the veteran linebacker had in Latrobe, where he earned a great deal of praise from teammates for his physical fitness, as well as his performance in pads.
“Obviously everybody knows I missed last season. I didn’t play a game. So for me, I need to go out there and prove to everybody in the entire NFL that I can still play,” Holcomb added. “That I’m back. I’m just as good as I was before the injury. I’ve got my confidence back. I feel good.”
Though he finds himself behind Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson at linebacker as the starters, Holcomb has put together some strong football this summer, which makes the Steelers’ inside linebacker group look very deep behind the starters. He’s still working through some kinks and continues to get his legs underneath him, but so far, things are really looking up for the veteran linebacker in his return.
It’s a great story, and he’s doing his part in making it even better with his play on the field.
