The Pittsburgh Steelers team as a whole showed marked improvements during the 2022 season. We saw the offense, commanded by then-rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, make huge gains after the bye week. The defense had some areas of weakness, but still showed improvements, especially after T.J. Watt returned from injury. Some areas remained a bit of concern and it left people wondering how or if they would be fixed during the offseason. One of those areas was inside linebacker.
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Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt (#90) celebrates after making a big play at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
Inside linebacker has been a bizarre revolving door of mediocracy since the incredible Ryan Shazier suffered his career ending spinal cord injury in December of 2017. This isn't just some kind of fan loyalty where no one can match up, literally, no one has even come close to matching up.
Everyone had high hopes for Devin Bush, who the Steelers traded up for in the first round to get at 10th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Bush had an excellent rookie season, but suffered a torn ACL during the Week 6 game in 2020 and was placed on the injured reserve. Regardless of the reasons, he was never the same after that.
Bush is far from the only inside linebacker the Steelers have had since Shazier. Since then, they have tried several free agents including Myles Jack, Jon Bostic, Mark Barron and Joe Schobert. None of them lived up to the expectations the Steelers have for their tough-nosed defenders. Now the team has almost wiped the slate clean and is starting fresh. This gives fans a lot of hope that we could get close to what we need.
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Steelers new inside linebacker Cole Holcomb at 2023 training camp.
Prior to the start of the 2023 season, the Steelers brought in free agents Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Kwon Alexander, and so far they seem to be off to a great start. Of the three new players, a lot of focus has been placed on Holcomb because the Steelers are paying him $18 million over three years. He is expected to be an every-down player who can succeed in a run or pass defense.
2 Former Linebackers Give Their Thoughts On The New Steelers Inside Linebackers Room
Two former Steelers linebackers, Arthur Moats and Terence Garvin recently gave their opinions on how the new additions are measuring up. Moats, who now hosts The Arthur Moats Experience, frequently has his former teammate join him on the show.
Both former players feel that Alexander has had an impressive start and think he will be an effective starter. Garvin added that he feels that Roberts will also have an impact. The whole trio according to both former players is off to a strong start, they are also impressed by what they have seen and heard about Holcomb.
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Steelers' Mark Robinson (#93) at the team's third day of OTA's in Pittsburgh, PA.
In addition, the Steelers have Mark Robinson coming back. Robinson was drafted in the seventh round in 2022 and saw some playing time last season. He showed promise and Garvin, along with other former Steelers such as Shazier and Charlie Batch, have praised him for his growth. Garvin has said numerous times that he believes Robinson is one to watch.
"Mark looked good too, that's my favorite, I love him. I would love to see him and Kwon, it's just can it work together," asked Garvin.
Moats said he has seen them using Holcomb and Alexander together quite a bit and it seems to be working. That is surprising Garvin said because both players have similar games, both "smash." Garvin calls them "dime linebackers," and Moats feels they are both very athletic.
During a recent camp Moats watched, he said they were doing three-safety packages. He said it was almost a "big nickel look" and that was when there were a lot of them together.
"To me, if you're gonna rock like that, you gotta have them dudes up front being what they are capable of being. Because like you said, they're not thumpers like that, they are the speed dudes, they are smart as heck. They're gonna get everything aligned and cover the way they need," said Moats.
Garvin proceeded to push back on that a bit. He said he disagrees when it comes to Alexander. He said the reason his value is so high is because you're getting an "athlete who will thump." Overall, Garvin is just pleased that there is actual competition at the position this season.
"Kwon is a dawg, I think Mark Robinson's a dawg, Roberts is a dawg, and Cole Holcomb's a dawg. We know those four pretty well. I mean that's the competition in my opinion."
Moats said that he loves the combo of Holcomb and Alexander because of how athletic it is. He added that he feels that Holcomb understands the defense the best out of the group. He said to him, he just appears the most comfortable.
Both agree that the team should be doing whatever they need to help Alexander thrive and feel more comfortable. So even if another player is technically a bit better, if Holcomb is helping Alexander, that's who they should stick with. Garvin said he sees Alexander as the "A player."
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Steelers LB Elandon Roberts
They feel that Alexander is going to be the top linebacker of the group, but as a whole, the group is performing well. It is exciting to see this group showing so much potential. The Steelers have been weak at inside linebacker for so long that it diminishes the impact of the other strong defenders such as Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cam Heyward. Hopefully, these new additions are a major step in the right direction.
What do you think about the potential 2023 inside linebackers group? Do you think they will be better than 2022? Click to comment below!
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