Quietly, the Pittsburgh Steelers are making moves to keep the team moving forward and continue the rebuild of this young roster. First, the Steelers agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson to replace Cameron Sutton and now they have agreed to terms with Cole Holcomb to replace Robert Spillane. Here are our takeaways from the linebacker swap.
We love Spillane but Holcomb is an upgrade
If the two sides could have worked it out, we would have been fine with Spillane coming back as a starter in 2023. But just from an athletic and production standpoint, there’s no doubt Holcomb is a step up. He is better in coverage and can cover a ton of ground.
Holcomb's health is the key
The Steelers are planning to sign Holcomb pending he passes a physical. Holcomb had foot surgery last season and it cost him 10 games. If Holcomb isn’t able to go, Pittsburgh is back to the drawing board for a replacement for Spillane.
No changes to the draft needs yet
There are still two more pieces to consider at inside linebacker for the Steelers. The addition of Holcomb and the loss of Spillane basically cancel each other out and have no bearing on how Pittsburgh approaches the draft. It will depend on what the Steelers do with Devin Bush and Myles Jack which will dictate how early the Steelers target an inside linebacker.
