The Pittsburgh Steelers will have fresh faces at inside linebacker that general manager Omar Khan is excited to see play on Sundays in 2023. One outlet however, is questioning the strength of the new unit. Despite the organization's excitement at bringing in two players it sees as good fits in Cole Holcomb from the Washington Commanders and Elandon Roberts from the Miami Dolphins, Pro Football Focus' Zoltán Buday highlighted the Steelers' new linebacker brigade as one of the six position groups he is most worried about leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft.
AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.
Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Washington Commanders linebacker Cole Holcomb.
The other groups highlighted among the weakest in the league were the Indianapolis Colts' quarterbacks, the Tennessee Titans' offensive line, the Houston Texans' receivers, the Arizona Cardinals' cornerbacks, and the Las Vegas Raiders' interior defensive line. In Pittsburgh, Buday questioned how much of an upgrade Holcomb, Roberts, and second-year Mark Robinson can be over last year's trio of Devin Bush, Myles Jack, and Robert Spillane.
"Holcomb, a former fifth-round pick, had a promising sophomore campaign, but has failed to live up to that potential in his two seasons since, as he missed more than half of the 2022 season and has yet to play more than 800 snaps in a season," he said. "Roberts, on the other hand, played mostly a situational role at his previous stops, as he never played more than 700 snaps in a season and earned an overall grade over 60.0 just once since his rookie season in 2016."
Holcomb is probably an upgrade on Spillane who was inconsistent in his tenure in Pittsburgh. The real question is if the mix of Roberts and Robinson, plus perhaps another rookie added in the draft who replace Jack's team-leading 61 solo tackles in 2022. The good news financially is that the duo of Roberts and Holcomb will cost just over $5 million in cap hits according to Spotrac.com for next year or $3 million less than keeping Jack would've cost. The team also recently added safety, Keanu Neal who could basically be a linebacker in some formations.
What About The Steelers Outside Linebackers?
Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar/ AP Photo
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) celebrates with outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) after sacking Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in Pittsburgh.
It seems a bit odd that a positional group with a former AP Defensive Player of the Year in TJ Watt would land in a grouping of weakest position units in the league. Throw in Alex Highsmith, who broke out in 2022 with 14.5 sacks and tied for the league lead with five forced fumbles according to Pro Football Reference, and you have arguably one of the league's premier pass rush duos.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Alex Highsmith showed off what he can do in the NFL without TJ Watt opposite him for most of the year.
The depth behind the Steelers' terrible twosome is certainly a question and with Watt's health still being a possible concern, they still need to add bodies, but to completely ignore the star power at outside linebacker is a little odd.
Well, it would appear that Buday was pointing specifically to the team's inside linebackers, he didn't specify that, and Watt and Highsmith are both listed still on the roster as linebackers last I checked.
So, Steeler Nation, are you concerned about the play at inside linebacker next season? Do you see it as one of the weakest position groups in the league? Comment below!
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