Behind the Steel Curtain
The Steelers linebacker has had a long road back
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed linebacker Cole Holcomb ahead of the 2023 season in hopes of strengthening a unit that had long been the weak point of the defense. In eight games in the 2023 season, Holcomb had 54 tackles, four of which were for loss, and was becoming a valuable piece of the unit. He suffered a gruesome knee injury during a Thursday night game against the Tennessee Titans - an injury which cost him an entire year of his career, as he missed the entire 2024 campaign.
Now returning to the field for the first time in almost two calendar years, Holcomb is ready to continue writing his story.
“It was a serious injury,” Holcomb said. “I’m pretty sure you all saw it - it was pretty gruesome... [I’ve] Been working hard to come back, and it’s been a long road. I felt like I’m picking up where I left off.”
With the current room of linebackers featuring Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson as the team’s starters, Holcomb will compete with Malik Harrison and rookie Carson Bruener for snaps. That said, if his play is at the level it was in 2023, he will easily be the No. 3 linebacker in the rotation.
