The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Sunday that they have signed inside linebacker, Kwon Alexander to a one-year deal. This will be the nine-year veteran’s fifth team since being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. After a few solid stints around the league, many fans of one of his previous teams, the New Orleans Saints, were hoping he would return to the state where he attended college (at the SEC powerhouse LSU Tigers) and help them with depth at inside linebacker. Instead, Alexander opted to make the trek from his previous team, the New York Jets, to the Steel City.
Jack Dempsey | Associated Press
New Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver.
After a strong start to his career, with a Pro Bowl selection with the Buccaneers in 2017, Alexander’s statistical numbers took a bit of a dip. While this can be explained mainly due to a few major injuries he suffered, including a torn ACL in 2018, torn pectoral muscle in 2019, and three separate injuries in the 2020 calendar year, he has been major-injury free since the start of the 2021 season.
This bodes well for the Steelers, who have struggled to find a consistent inside linebacker in recent years. The Steelers also hope that he can be another leader on the defensive side of the ball. It appears that the team and General Manager, Omar Khan are attempting to revive the historic backbone of this organization, an in-your-face and tough defense.
Alexander is coming off a complete 17-game season for the Jets where he started 12 of those games and racked up 69 combined tackles. While this averages out to only just over four tackles a game in the 2022, Alexander’s impact can be felt in other aspects too. Racking up 33 passes defended, 11 forced fumbles, 8 interceptions, and 49 tackles for a loss, Alexander can run north and south to meet a running back just as well as he can run east and west to make a tackle on a receiver.
steelers.com
Steelers' LB Elandon Roberts
Along with new signings, Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts, a new aura of competition is set for this historic position of the Steelers. Could this be too many signings for one position though? Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan was able to catch what Roberts had to say about the newest signee during a media frenzy:
“I love competition, I hate to feel complacent. You know because sometimes you might miss something in your own development. So I love to be pushed and I feel like that makes the team better when there is a competitive practice every day.”
Roberts, a 2016 sixth-round draft pick for the New England Patriots, continued answering questions about competition given there are three new signings. He said that it was not only about those three, meaning himself, Holcomb, and Alexander, but rather the team as a whole and what is best to help the Steelers win football games. One must respect this attitude and hope that these three can bring the best out of each other in practice and leave it to the coaches to decide who can best help the team in any given situation come September.
Alexander is only the newest acquisition of an unnaturally busy 2023 offseason for the Steelers. However, this is something the fans can definitely get used to as the signings are smart, for the right reasons, and that the new faces encapsulate what it means to be a Steeler.
Getty Images
Veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander would provide a huge boost to the Steelers' lack of depth at the linebacker position.
Steelers Made The Right Move Bringing In Alexander
This is a signing that feels right though. Alexander wants to prove himself and this is the perfect stage for him to do just that. He is set to join the team after only four days of training camp have passed, he has officially joined the team in Latrobe on Sunday.
Which of these three signings at linebacker will have the biggest impact for the Steelers in 2023? Can Alexander return to a Pro Bowl level and help this defense shut down a high powered AFC North? Let us know what yinz think in the comment section below!
#SteelerNation
