Steelers LB Cole Holcomb Discusses His Inspiring Comeback Story

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of interesting storylines to begin the 2025 NFL season. From quarterback Aaron Rodgers' comeback and revenge against the New York Jets, to the arrival of wide receiver DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh is one of the more intriguing teams in the league. One of the more understated stories belongs to linebacker Cole Holcomb, and while his return in 2025 isn't as flashy as some of the other names, he might consider it a miracle.

Holcomb signed with the Steelers in March of 2023, after spending the entirety of his rookie contract with the Washington Commanders. He came on strong to begin his time with Pittsburgh, immediately filling a starting role and posting a 65.5 grade on Pro Football Focus. His momentum came to a stop in a game against the Tennessee Titans in 2023, when he suffered a career-altering injury while making a tackle. Holcomb tore multiple ligaments in his knee, requiring surgery and sidelining him for the rest of the 2023 season and all of 2024. There was doubt that he would ever play football again.

In the latest video in the Steelers' YouTube series The Standard, Holcomb went into detail about the injury that changed his life.

"I knew it was a bad injury so I was just telling them, 'Get the cart out here and get me out of here,'" Holcomb said. "Some days were tougher than others, but it wasn't necessarily a 'looking at the finish line'... just trying to take the small wins each day."

As Holcomb said, his road to recovery was long. There were 646 days between his injury and the next NFL game he played in, and the linebacker wanted to make it count.

Steelers' Cole Holcomb Makes Miraculous Return

Holcomb's return came in Week 1 of the 2025 preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars, well over a year after the last time he played a game. The linebacker had been preparing for all of training camp so that he would be ready to roll when the preseason began.

"I wanted to come back and prove that I could be a top linebacker in this league," Holcomb said. "The Jacksonville game, I was pretty nervous... once we got that first drive out of the way, I felt good again... at that point I was like, 'Okay, I can let it loose.'"

Let it loose, Holcomb did. The linebacker picked up right where he left off in 2023, posting a 62.8 PFF grade for the preseason and a 74.9 tackling grade against the Jaguars.

Of all the impressive feats Holcomb accomplished over a two-year span since his injury, the most impressive might be that he made the Steelers' 53-man roster in a very crowded and talented linebacker room. The team elected to keep five inside linebackers on the team: Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Malik Harrison, and Carson Bruener, as well as Holcomb. All of them will likely get playing time this season in some capacity. Queen and Wilson will likely be the every down backers, while Harrison rotates in occasionally on run downs, and Bruener will mainly be a special teamer. As for Holcomb, he's balanced in his ability to cover, as well as to defend the run, so the Steelers will likely find creative ways to get him in the game as well.

No matter what his playing time looks like, the fact that Holcomb will continue his football career in 2025 is nothing short of a miracle. When the injury happened in 2023, his playing career was in serious doubt. Now, he looks to make his mark on a talented Steelers defense - and be one of the most inspiring storylines in the entire league.

What do you think of Cole Holcomb's recovery and his role in the Steelers' defense? Let us know in the comments below!

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