In what has been a long-awaited move the Pittsburgh Steelers have placed LB Cole Holcomb on the Reserve/Pup list to start the season, carrying over the designation from the offseason to the regular season.
Per the team, the move became official on Tuesday and could be seen coming from a mile away.
Holcomb to start season on Reserve/PUP
The good news for Holcomb is that despite many of the offseason rumors, Pittsburgh opted to keep him around as opposed to cutting him outright, something both insiders and media outlets suggested during training camp:
Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Cole Holcomb to be the team's No. 1 inside linebacker. But he made it just eight games into the season before suffering a major knee injury. That led Pittsburgh back to the drawing board. It spent big bucks in free agency to lure Patrick Queen from the Ravens in March and used a Day 2 pick on North Carolina State's Payton Wilson, who may be the most NFL-ready off-ball linebacker in the class of 2024.
Holcomb's injury could make releasing him tricky. There are protections in place to ensure NFL teams can't just dump players who are hurt. But every workout and day of training camp that he misses offers Wilson a chance to impress upon the coaching staff that he's capable of starting opposite Queen as a rookie.And if Wilson earns the role, Holcomb may get healthy just in time to be shown the door.
- Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report
Wilson did have a great camp, and Holcomb still has yet to return to practice, hence the roster move. However, Wilson missed the final preseason game against the Detroit Lions with concussion-like symptoms, even though he said he was ready to play.
The enticing rookie has his own injury history and Holcomb's impact on the defense when healthy can't be overstated enough.
The 28-year-old LB was a force for the Steelers in the first half of the 2023 season, wearing the green dot, (defensive signal caller) leading the team in tackles, and holding up well in coverage.
So we'll see if and when Holcomb returns in 2024. It's tough to see him overtaking Elandon Roberts as the starter, and we know Patrick Queen's spot is solidified. So how Pittsburgh uses him when healthy will be a determinant on his future in Pittsburgh.
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