Steelers' Latest LB Signings Were Decided By Value Of Experience, Mike Tomlin Says

Injuries continue to stack up for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the last few weeks. Just as the team started to get healthy, there have been several key injuries of late. Heading into Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals, the linebacker room was looking bleak, as Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander had both gone down with season-ending injuries in the past few games.

Just one man remained from the three-man rotation that the team had been using all season: Elandon Roberts. Unfortunately, he left Sunday's game with a groin injury. In his press conference on Tuesday, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin officially deemed Roberts as questionable for Week 14 against the New England Patriots. As a result, others will have to step up. Tomlin was asked what went into the signings of Blake Martinez and Myles Jack in the last few weeks, and their experience was valuable to the team.

"When you just look at the pool of people available to us and just where we were, we valued NFL experience. We didn't wait for the next domino to fall before we acquired those guys and began their physical preparation process and their mental preparation process. We did that a couple of weeks back, hopeful that we would have more time but you don't always get what you want. And so, we'll see what those dudes look like from a preparedness standpoint," Tomlin said.

Both veteran linebackers were not on a team as recently as a month ago. In fact, both of them were retired. Now, one of them, if not both, will likely see extended playing time on Thursday Night Football. As Tomlin mentioned, there is plenty of experience between the two of them. While they are past their primes, they have combined for 173 career starts and 1,323 total tackles in their tenured NFL careers. 

Jack spent the 2022 season with Pittsburgh so he's a familiar face that's back in the building. The team cut him halfway into his two-year, $16 million deal, as he proved to be not worth that kind of money. His familiarity with the system will undoubtedly help him in preparation for Week 14, that is if he gets elevated from the practice squad. Tomlin wasn't surprised in the slightest that Jack was willing to return to Pittsburgh.

Will Steelers Turn To Jack Or Martinez?

The linebacker spent some time with the Philadelphia Eagles back in August but eventually retired. As Tomlin phrased it, he loves football. In the meantime, he's ventured into several other activities. If he is called upon, he will be able to bring some continuity with some of his former teammates. Amidst the lost to the Cardinals, Alexander tweeted out some frustration after the injury to Roberts. 

It's been a tough few weeks for that linebacker room, which had come a long way in 2023 as a unit. Tomlin acknowledged that the latest injury really affected the defense on Sunday, especially in the communication department. With Roberts getting hurt, the Steelers had to turn to their fourth different linebacker to wear the "green dot" in the last month.

Mykal Walker struggled, as he was asked to do a lot with Roberts out. If Roberts can't play on Thursday though, Walker will have to shoulder similar responsibilities. This time though, he would get some more experience alongside him in either Jack or Martinez. Just days ago, Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin admitted that Martinez would join the rotation at some point, and that was before the Roberts injury. The team still doesn't quite trust second-year defender Mark Robinson, which has become clear the past few weeks. 

Are you confident that Martinez and/or Jack can provide competent linebacker play? Why does the team continue to not play Robinson? How do you think Roberts has performed in his first season in Pittsburgh? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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