Tag: cole holcomb

AFC North rival expecting 4x Pro Bowler to return in Week 7

The Cleveland Browns expect their star RB Nick Chubb to return from injury in Week 7. How will this impact Pittsburgh moving forward?

One of Pittsburgh’s AFC North rivals is growing more formidable, as the Cleveland Browns expect star RB Nick Chubb to return from injury in Week 7.

Just over 13 months ago, Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick delivered a touchdown-saving hit on Chubb. What seemed like a routine stop for Pittsburgh’s hard-hitting defense turned into a nightmare as Chubb was carted off the field in visible pain.

Upon review, the injury occurred as Chubb fought off a tackle from Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb for extra yards. Fitzpatrick, assisting in the stop, went low, leading to severe damage to Chubb’s MCL, ACL, and meniscus in his left knee.

The injury was devastating for Browns fans, and while rivalry runs deep, there’s respect for Chubb’s grueling 13-month rehab to return to the field.


Will the Steelers’ AFC North rival’s star player be 100% after such an awful knee injury?  Only time will tell, but the future matchups between Pittsburgh and Cleveland have certainly grown in difficulty for the Steelers.

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Report: Steelers restructure Cole Holcomb’s contract

The Steelers took the opportunity to renegotiate ILB Cole Holcomb’s contract, who remains on the active PUP list.

Cole Holcomb was off to a solid start in his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers before succumbing to a severe knee injury that shut down a promising season.

The Steelers took the opportunity to restructure Holcomb’s contract, as he remains on the active Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, rehabbing the Week 9, 2023 injury.

According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, Pittsburgh “added $3.1 million in 2024 split and base guarantees for Cole Holcomb with renegotiation, in addition to $4.92 million total guaranteed from 2023 contract.”

It’s unclear from the tweet exactly what the adjustment means in financial terms. From a player perspective, Holcomb is unlikely to be ready for the start of the season and may have agreed to the tweak to stay with the Steelers.

Should Holcomb start 2024 on injured reserve, he’s eligible to return in four weeks. If the move is made before Week 1, that’ll be it for the veteran linebacker.

Holcomb sustained the injury when safety Keanu Neal clipped him in an attempt to bring down Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins following a 29-yard-reception.

The Steelers should reach out to Kwon Alexander’s agent. Alexander posted a hype video on socials last week showing he’s ready to go after suffering a torn Achilles the week after Holcomb.

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Former Steelers LB is healthy and Pittsburgh needs to be paying attention

Kwon Alexander put out a hype video showing he is recovered from his torn Achilles.

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers saw a huge bump in the play at inside linebacker. This was in large part due to the contributions of Kwon Alexander. The Steelers signed Alexander late in the free agency process and ended up paying big dividends.

Alexander posted the hype video below on his social media showing he is healthy, in shape and ready to play. Be warned, the accompanying music is NSFW.

Last season, Alexander appeared in nine games with only two of those starts. Alexander finished the season with 41 total tackles along with an interception and a forced fumble. Alexander’s season was cut short by a torn Achilles.

With it seemingly less likely that Cole Holcomb is going to play in 2024, Alexander would be an ideal addition. The Steelers have veteran Elandon Roberts, big-money free agent Patrick Queen and superstar rookie Payton Wilson.

Alexander came in as a rotational player last offseason and fit in perfectly and he could do the same again in 2024.

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Steelers LB Cole Holcomb on the roster bubble as injury lingers

Cole Holcomb might not make the Steelers final roster.

Last season, before his injury, Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Cole Holcomb was great. In eight games he had 54 total tackles and had a 72.2 run-stopping grade by Pro Football Focus.

Holcomb suffered a serious leg injury that cost him half of the season and now could cost him much more. Holcomb started training camp on the PUP list and with each passing day, it seems less and less likely Holcomb will be ready to go to start the season.

Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac took it a step further. He hypothesized that Holcomb is nowhere near ready to play. Dulac even said that Holcomb might be a candidate for IR or even be waived.

If either happens, it really puts a spotlight on rookie Payton Wilson. The Steelers selected Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft but he is one of the most athletic and productive defenders from the entire draft class. It would also mean Mark Robinson has a better shot to make the team. With the return of Tyler Matakevich, we assume that meant Robinson was on his way out but if Holcomb is out of the picture, Robinson could stay.

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Steelers start training camp with 3 players on injury lists

The Steelers won’t have these three players for at least a portion of training camp.

On Wednesday the Pittsburgh Steelers started training camp and according to head coach Mike Tomlin, three players start camp on injury lists. Tomlin addressed the media after the team reported and had their run test.

According to Tomlin, inside linebacker Cole Holcomb and defensive lineman Dean Lowry will start training camp on the active Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Holcomb is still on the mend from a serious leg injury he suffered last season. Lowry came to the Steelers with an injury situation but not one Tomlin was willing to elaborate on.

As for running back/wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, he starts training camp on the Non-Football Injury list. This is because the hamstring injury he’s dealing with happened during his own offseason training.

Tomlin didn’t share any sort of timeline for any of the injured players but the injuries to Holcomb and Lowry have been lingering and don’t inspire hope for their availability anytime soon.

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Predicting 2 Steelers to start training camp on the PUP list

Which Steelers will start the season on the PUP list?

In just three days, the Pittsburgh Steelers will open up 2024 training camp. So far, we’ve had no word of any Steelers players starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform List (PUP) but the team still has time to place players.

Here is how the NFL defines the active PUP list:

Active/PUP list: Players are placed on this list during training camp and count toward a team’s 90-man roster. Players can be removed from the list at any time during camp, but can’t be placed back on the list. Players on this list as of final roster cutdowns must be placed on the Reserve/PUP, released, traded or counted against the 53-man roster.

The Steelers have two prime candidates to go on the active PUP ahead of the start of training camp. One is linebacker Cole Holcomb who is making slow progress as he tries to return from a knee injury he suffered in the middle of the 2023 season.

Another player who might start the season on the PUP is cornerback Cory Trice. He missed all of the 2023 season with a torn ACL he suffered on the first day of padded practice at last year’s training camp. Pittsburgh needs to ease Trice back into action if they want him to help in year two.

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Steelers linebackers looking great heading into 2024

PFF ranked the Steelers linebackers as 13th-best in the NFL for the upcoming season.

Last season we all applauded the Pittsburgh Steelers for the moves they made to improve the inside linebacker depth chart. The team added Cole Holcomb, Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts and despite the injury bug mowing through them, this group was better than what we’d seen in several seasons.

But this offseason, with Alexander gone and Holcomb still recovering from injury, the team basically had to start over. The front office made a huge signing with Patrick Queen coming over from the Baltimore Ravens and then drafted Payton Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Pro Football Focus ranked the linebacker units and for the Steelers, they were fair with their ranking of No. 13 in the NFL which worked out to No. 8 in the AFC. Here’s what they had to say about the rankings:

The Steelers made a splash at the linebacker position this offseason by bringing in Patrick Queen from the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. Queen has improved every season since entering the league and is coming off a career-high 73.0 PFF grade. He has yet to turn 25 years old, so it’s reasonable to expect that he will continue to get better. Alongside him, Elandon Roberts posted a career-high 72.2 PFF grade on 622 snaps in 2023.

If a few things fall right, this group will end up far outplaying the ranking. Holcomb could still be ready to play this season and he adds significant athleticism and if Wilson is as good as advertised, he might take Roberts’ starting spot next to Queen.

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2024 NFL draft: Steelers host LB Junior Colson for pre-draft visit

Pittsburgh continues to meet with some of the top draft prospects just a week out from the start of the 2024 NFL draft.

According to multiple reports the Pittsburgh Steelers had three 2024 NFL draft prospects in for pre-draft visits on Wednesday. One of those visitors was former Michigan linebacker Junior Colson.

In an offseason filled with splash plays for the Steelers one that has gotten a little lost in the shuffle is the addition of former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen. Queen gives the Steelers a top-tier inside linebacker they haven’t had in some time. So why bring in Colson for a pre-draft visit?

Because Colson is a perfect young player to come in and pair up with Queen and learn from him. Colson is a big inside linebacker, very physical and plays with a high motor. He’s also a leader and won the Lott IMPACT Award (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, Tenacity).

Pittsburgh currently has veterans Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb under contract. There are concerns that Holcomb won’t be fully recovered from the significant knee injury he suffered in Week Nine of last season. Adding a young, athletic inside linebacker makes perfect sense and Colson passing the eyeball test for a Steelers linebacker.

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The ‘big unknown’ with Steelers ILB Cole Holcomb

The Steelers will need to make a financial decision soon about Cole Holcomb.

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers completely rebuilt their inside linebacker depth chart starting with Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts. The team also added Kwon Alexander later in the season and the three of them brought a new level of play to the position until the injuries started to pile up.

Now it is the 2024 offseason and Alexander is a free agent and Alexander is coming off of a big injury and due a significant payday. This is why Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo called the situation with Holcomb the big unknown.

 Holcomb is under contract. Alexander is a UFA. Omar Khan will address reporters at the combine a week from today so we might get an update on what they’re thinking at ILB. Holcomb declined to speak with reporters on locker cleanout day and Mike Tomlin offered very little about where he is in his rehab. So quite honestly, there is a big unknown there.

If the Steelers keep Holcomb, his cap hit for 2024 is $7.46 million. If the Steelers choose to release Holcomb as a post-June 1 cut would save the Steelers $6 million in cap space. If the Steelers release Holcomb, look for them to address the position early in free agency and possibly in the 2024 NFL draft as well.

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Steelers 2024 offseason roster – Linebacker

Here are all the Steelers linebackers currently on the roster heading into the offseason.

Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers had to deal with a mix of highs and lows from the linebacker position. At outside linebacker, T.J. Watt led the league in sacks but as inside linebacker, injuries rocked the depth chart.