The Pittsburgh Steelers did not leave anything to chance with their inside linebackers room for the upcoming season. They made the biggest free agency signing in franchise history when they brought in Patrick Queen. They also drafted Payton Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft to help build depth and make up for the possibility that Cole Holcomb won't be ready to return in Week 1.
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Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen.
Those players joined Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson, while the newly acquired Tyler Matakevich was added as well. The signing of Matakevich raises questions about who will remain for the season, depending on how many inside linebackers they keep.
On a recent episode of The Arthur Moats Experience, former Steelers linebackers Arthur Moats and Terence Garvin discussed Robinson's future. Garvin and Moats have always been big fans of Robinson and have said previously that he has that "dawg" in him that makes him a perfect fit in Pittsburgh.
However, now Robinson is entering his third season after being selected in the seventh round in 2022. Garvin questions if he is making enough progress to warrant staying on the team, especially with Matakevich joining. From Garvin's perspective, Queen, Holcomb, Roberts, and Wilson all come before Robinson and Matakevich.
"I think he's a dawg," said Garvin. "I think this is where it happens when it's the numbers. I think the knock on him is the brain game. He will go to a team that's like, 'We're not super brainiac, we're gonna take that.' I kind of hate to see him leave."
Garvin feels that a team that runs a less cerebral defense and special teams unit will be more interested in a guy like Robinson. It is too soon to tell how this will play out. Garvin thinks there is a chance that they will keep six inside linebackers because of Holcomb's injury. The information about Holcomb's return has been vague. Moats agrees and says there hasn't been anything definitive on Holcomb's return, making it hard for him to believe he will be ready to take hits in camp in a week or so.
Robinson, originally a running back at Ole Miss, became a fan favorite during his rookie training camp thanks to his hard hits. He played some that year, but burst onto the scene in 2023 and greatly impacted special teams. He played all 17 games last season and was in on 67% of all special teams snaps, compared to just 13% on defense.
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Steelers fan favorite, Tyler Matakevich.
Matakevich, like Robinson, was a seventh-round Steelers selection. In 2020 however, he joined the Buffalo Bills. He also primarily saw action on special teams, even as a Bills captain. Garvin said that if it comes down to cutting one of those linebackers - Robinson or Matakevich, he thinks Robinson will go. Matakevich has shown a knack for special teams, racking up 64 tackles in his career. Garvin says he is a cerebral player who has "been that guy" for the Bills. Moats agrees, saying that Robinson hasn't shown yet that he is a Pro Bowl-level special teams player.
Does Steelers' Cole Holcomb Need To Worry?
Despite suffering what's been called a gruesome knee injury, Moats and Garvin don't think Holcomb has anything to worry about. Holcomb still has two years left on his three-year contract with the Steelers. Moats believes that the team might choose to put him on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and if they do, it will open that spot for Robinson to stay.
The Steelers will want to preserve Holcomb's shot at returning. He was performing well last season before he got hurt, and Moats said that many players might walk away, but Holcomb would want to stay to earn as much as he can. The Steelers are also money-motivated; they don't save enough by releasing him to let him go.
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb.
Moats added that the Steelers have also learned their lesson from Devin Bush and his knee injury. He feels the team rushed Bush to return to the lineup, and he wasn't quite ready. This made Bush mentally and physically struggle to stay focused, and his game suffered. He has never been the same player he was before hurting his knee.
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