The Pittsburgh Steelers were looking for another defensive lineman during the 2022 offseason following the retirement of Stephon Tuitt. Pittsburgh filled their need in June after Larry Ogunjobi failed his physical with the Chicago Bears and signed with the black and gold. Ogunjobi had suffered a serious foot injury the season prior playing with the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wildcard round, but he was still able to start in 16 games for Pittsburgh in 2022. The AFC North mainstay (having been drafted by the Cleveland Browns) struggled to get in much practice time dealing with various ailments but is excited to go into his new contract in Pittsburgh healthy.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Larry Ogunjobi waits for drills to start during a team practice in 2022.
Steelers beat writer, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, wrote Tuesday during one of his weekly chats that he sees a couple of moves that Omar Khan made in 2023 that line up similarly to bringing in Ogunjobi in 2022. The Steelers were "desperate", according to Fittipaldo, to upgrade on the underwhelming 2022 group of Devin Bush Jr., Myles Jack and Robert Spillane.
The first major piece to solving that puzzle was the signing of former Washington Commanders linebacker, Cole Holcomb. The soon-to-be 27-year old has struggled with injuries in his career, but when he has played, has shown the ability to be a very useful three-down linebacker.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb participates in drills at the 2023 organized team activities at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
"It was a risk Omar Khan thought was worth taking," Khan said about making moves for players with an injury history. "I view it in the same way as the Ogunjobi signing last year. They needed help on the defensive line and needed to make a move. We'll see how Holcomb comes along in camp. It will be a storyline for sure this summer."
Holcomb, just like Ogunjobi, suffered a serious foot injury, but it occurred midseason, and he missed ten games in 2022. He, along with free agent signings, Elandon Roberts, Nick Kwiatkoski, Tanner Muse and returning 2nd-year linebacker, Mark Robinson will be expected to provide more than the 2022 group.
Benjamin B. Braun / Post-Gazette
Steelers veteran wide receiver, Allen Robinson running through drills during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steelers Offensive Move In 2023 That's Ogunjobi-Like
Khan addressed the addition of veteran wide receiver, Allen Robinson at the team's annual pre-draft press conference. It was the first time speaking publicly since the trade had been made and he said that he and Head Coach, Mike Tomlin had identified adding a player with experience as a priority in the receiving room.
The team sent the Los Angeles Rams a seventh-round pick and got Robinson and a seventh-rounder while also picking up some of his reworked contract. Robinson is coming off the second pedal foot fracture of his career, but has already been participating in the offseason program.
Fittipaldo wrote that a big reason not to be worried about Robinson versus Holcomb is that he won't be expected to necessarily play a must-perform consistently role. The Steelers are not looking for him to be the star of the group, but rather, just to play a complementary role.
"Robinson is a No. 3 WR," he wrote. "He'll play a lot, but he's not a starter."
Holcomb is one of the more experienced linebackers and is expected to take on a key role. The other thing that Fittipaldo mentioned that perhaps favors the Robinson acquisition at this time is that he said the receiver looks to be further ahead in his rehab than the linebacker. It is only the football in shorts portion so it's tough to judge where a player is really at in preparedness to get back to playing.
The point isn't to say whether one signing is good or bad here. It's simply observing that the Steelers' front office isn't afraid of past injury history when they identify a player that they think can fill a need. The team proved they could manage Ogunjobi effectively in 2022 so there's some proof that they know what the proper steps needed to be with Robinson and Holcomb. Both are on relatively cheap deals and could outperform their contract values if the injuries can be managed.
So, Steeler Nation do you mind Khan making bets on players with some injury history? Does the management of Ogunjobi give you more confidence? Comment below!
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