When the Steelers signed Cole Holcomb last offseason, they thought they solved their inside linebacker with pairing him with Elandon Roberts. It looked to be going good until the Steelers played the Tennessee Titans when Holcomb was taken out by friendly fire.
On the play, Holcomb’s knee went into hyperextension when his teammates leg hit his. As a result, Holcomb missed the remainder of the year for the second straight season. Since the injury, Holcomb has been hard at work to return to injury and he is in a good mindset about his return.
“I’ve dealt with injuries before. I’m not at all worried or anything like that. I know I’ll come back and I’ll play football,” Holcomb told Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
About a month ago, head coach Mike Tomlin expressed his belief that Holcomb would be ready for training camp that starts next week but did not go into the specifics of his rehab.
“I’m sure he is (on track for training camp) I don’t have a lot of details about the specifics of it, but at every checkpoint, I think the experts are comfortable with the progress and I know he’s working extremely hard,” Tomlin said.
Omar Khan expressed that sentiment earlier in the offseason and said that the hard work that Holcomb has put in during his rehab has not gone unnoticed.
“I can tell you Cole [Holcomb’s] working extremely hard to get back,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said to reporters before the NFL Draft. “I don’t really have much to add on the timeline. We’ve discussed this, it was a major injury but he is working hard and I’m optimistic about all the effort he’s going to put into getting back on the field.”
With the Steelers signing of Patrick Queen this offseason, Holcomb’s starting role is likely gone upon his return but with his talent there should be a role as a depth piece alongside the rookie Payton Wilson. If Holcomb actually returns for training camp, that is a good sign that he will be ready for early season regular season games, if not Week 1 itself.
55 • Cole Holcomb, Inside Linebacker, North Carolina
6-foot-1, 240 pounds, 27 years old, 6th Season
Acquired: The Steelers signed Holcomb to a three-year contract on March 15, 2023, after his contract with the Washington Commanders expired following the 2022 season.
Last season: Holcomb entered the 2023 season as the starting inside linebacker opposite of Elandon Roberts. He started the first eight games of the season before injuring his knee against the Tennessee Titans which ultimately ended his season.
On 447 defensive snaps, Holcomb tallied 54 total tackles and two forced fumbles in 2023.
Career: The Washington Commanders drafted Holcomb with the 173rd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Holcomb appeared in all 16 games and started 15 of them as he played an impressive 718 defensive snaps. He finished the season with 105 combined tackles, one sack, and three forced fumbles.
In 2020, Holcomb started 10 of 11 games that he played for the Commanders. He posted 72 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception. Holcomb hauled in his first interception in Week 7 against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. Pro Football Focus gave Holcomb the highest defensive grade (72.0) of his career following the 2020 season.
Holcomb put together his most complete season as a professional in 2021. He started all 16 games that he appeared in and played a career-high 1,021 defensive snaps. He recorded a career-high 142 total tackles, one sack, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
Holcomb entered the 2022 season as the starting inside linebacker for Washington and started the first seven games of the season before injuring his foot which ultimately ended his season.
On 446 defensive snaps, Holcomb tallied 69 total tackles in 2022.
| Year | GP | GS | DEF Snaps | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FFs | PFF Grade |
| 2019 | 16 | 15 | 718 | 105 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 56.0 |
| 2020 | 11 | 10 | 555 | 72 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 72.0 |
| 2021 | 16 | 16 | 1,021 | 142 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 56.7 |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 446 | 69 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 66.6 |
| 2023 | 8 | 8 | 447 | 54 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 65.5 |
College: Holcomb walked on at the University of North Carolina prior to the 2015 season but played in 14 games as a true freshman, mainly as a special teams player. In 2015, Holcomb played 54 defensive snaps and totaled 15 combined tackles on the season.
Holcomb started all 13 games for the Tar Heels in 2016 and recorded a career-high 115 combined tackles. He also added a sack, five tackles for loss, and five passes defended. Holcomb finished fifth in the ACC in tackles per game with an average of 8.8 per appearance.
In 2016, Holcomb started all 11 games that he played in as a junior on the Tar Heels defense. On 649 defensive snaps, Holcomb tallied 93 total tackles, half of a sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, and three passes defended.
As a senior in 2018, Holcomb started 10 of the 11 games that he appeared in for North Carolina. He played 794 defensive snaps and posted 105 combined tackles, one sack, eight tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and four passes defended. In a game against Georgia Tech, Holcomb recorded a career-high 22 total tackles. For his great play, Holcomb was named Second Team All-ACC after the 2018 season.
| Year | GP | GS | Snaps | Tackles | Sacks | TFLs | FFs | PDs |
| 2015 | 14 | 0 | 54 | 15 | 0.o | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 13 | 13 | 855 | 115 | 1.o | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2017 | 11 | 11 | 649 | 93 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 3 |
| 2018 | 11 | 1o | 794 | 105 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 4 | 4 |
Salary cap and future: Holcomb is entering the second year of his Pittsburgh tenure and will cost $7.64 million against the Steelers’ 2024 cap space. He is owed $6 million in base salary and $1.64 million in prorated bonuses this season.
Holcomb signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Steelers last offseason and is signed with the team through the end of the 2025 season when he will become an unrestricted free agent.
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