Steelers Have New Player Wearing Green Dot

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers have had some communication problems early in the season. But there could be a change coming that might help that. The green dot is what you think it is. A green dot attaches to a player’s helmet where the play signals come through. Generally, the Mike linebackers wear it in a 4-3 defense, but the Steelers put it on their Mack linebacker more often than not.

Linebacker Kwon Alexander is new to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he’s not new to being an NFL linebacker, and he’s also not new to his new role with the club. Pittsburgh has steadily increased their faith in Alexander over the season and heading into Week 3, another step was taken in that.

Alexander confirmed he will be one of the players wearing the team’s green dot helmet as the defensive play-caller on Friday. Cole Holcomb has worn it in the early part of the season. The two may rotate going forward.
But it’s nothing new for Alexander, who has called plays at multiple stops earlier in his career.

“It’s been smooth,” Alexander said. “I’ve had the dot before. I played Mike linebacker my first four years. … It ain’t nothing different. I just get the call and then go out there and do the work.”

That hub of communication is important for any defense. Holcomb and Alexander are both the types that can get a little mouthy if needed, and that makes them perfect for this role. In the past, Vince Williams wore the green dot and acted like a general more than a teammate at the second level. But that is the type of player it takes to be the communication hub.

With Alexander’s snaps increasing each game and Holcomb logging the most snaps of any defensive players to this point, those two being the generals of the offense make sense. Alexander can do a little of everything in coverage, making him the most versatile of their linebackers. The green dot change makes more sense in that lens, where Alexander is set to log more snaps as the season goes on in specific matchups.