Steelers Now
One of the Pittsburgh Steelers veteran inside linebackers could be on the outside looking in come cutdown day.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense may be as talented as it’s been in recent memory, but that means talented players could be on the outs. Mike DeFabo of The Athletic believes that includes one of their returning vets.
DeFabo thinks that veteran linebacker Cole Holcomb could be on the shopping block later this summer.
”Cole Holcomb, who was once a do-everything, three-down inside linebacker before a gruesome knee injury derailed his career in 2023,” DeFabo wrote. “I think Holcomb makes the team, but I’m unsure about the other.”
Holcomb, 28, hasn’t suited up for a game since the 2023 season. Halfway through that year, he suffered a serious knee injury that has kept him sidelined since.
It’s been a long road to recovery for Holcomb, but he was determined to come back from the injury and revealed he even felt good enough to play at the end of last season.
“I felt good. Probably wouldn’t have been the best idea, but I felt ready if they needed me,” Holcomb said. “Been working hard to come back, and it’s been a long road. I felt like I’m picking up where I left off.”
Only time will tell if Holcomb will return as the same player he was, but if he does, it’s unlikely he’ll be among those cut.
Holcomb was playing some of the best football of his career before he went down, recording 54 tackles (31 solo), two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two passes defensed in eight games.
However, nobody is expecting Holcomb to be the same player. That’s why the Steelers have continued to bolster the room since his injury, adding Patrick Queen in free agency and using a third-round pick on Payton Wilson in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Both players are in line to have big roles in Pittsburgh’s defense this season, which could leave Holcomb on the outside looking in.
Holcomb will have a chance to make his case when training camp officially kicks off next week, but the odds are stacked against him.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Veteran Linebacker Named Cut Candidate
