Steelers address linebacker, agree to terms with Holcomb

The Steelers went into free agency needing to address inside linebacker. And, just several hours before the official start of NFL's new year, a new linebacker is heading to Pittsburgh.

The Steelers have agreed to terms with Cole Holcomb on a three-year contract, according to NFL Network. The deal is pending a physical that is scheduled for Thursday. Financial details have not yet been reported.

Holcomb, 26, was selected out of North Carolina in the fifth-round of the 2019 Draft by the Commanders. And, whenever he's been on the field, he's been highly productive. As a rookie, Holcomb started 15 games and recorded 105 tackles, one sack and three forced fumbles. In 16 starts in 2021, Holcomb racked up 142 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defended, one sack, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

However, injuries have been a problem in two of Holcomb's four NFL seasons. He missed five games in 2020 -- one due to a concussion and four from a knee injury. Most recently, his 2022 season was limited to only seven games because of a foot injury that landed him on injured reserve and eventually required surgery.

There is obviously concern over Holcomb's durability and how his foot is recovering from the surgery. However, if the physical reveals no concerns, the Steelers are adding a player who's served as a captain and signal caller in the middle of the Commanders' defense and can be a significant addition to a linebacker group that has limped on since Ryan Shazier suffered his tragic career-ending injury in 2017.

Holcomb provides good instincts in the middle of the field, not to mention great speed and change of direction. At the 2019 NFL Combine, Holcomb ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash, and recorded a 4.14 shuttle and 6.77 in the three-cone drill -- all are very high marks for an off-ball linebacker.

More important, Holcomb can provide more consistency in coverage. It's been too long since the Steelers had an inside linebacker who could do this:

With Holcomb in the fold, he'll start alongside Myles Jack, who also dealt with his fair share of injuries in 2022, including a Grade 3 tear in his groin. Mark Robinson figures to be the current third option with only two games of significant action under his belt. 

When healthy, the combination of Holcomb and Jack could be a very nice duo on the second level of the Steelers' defense. But, because of the risk factor, off-ball linebacker is still very much in play in the upcoming NFL Draft. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan were at Clemson's pro day on Tuesday, and they had dinner with Trenton Simpson -- one of the top linebackers in the draft class -- on Monday night.

The NFL's legal tampering period ended Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., meaning all agreed upon deals can be made official as early as 4:01 p.m. However, all teams must remain the salary cap once the new league year starts. Having agreed upon deals with Patrick Peterson, Nate Herbig, Damontae Kazee, Larry Ogunjobi and now Holcomb, the Steelers will need more than the $11 million they currently have in cap space.

In other Steelers free agency news, the team did not tender qualifying offers to any of their restricted free agents, including CB James Pierre, WR Steven Sims, C J.C. Hassenauer and RB Jeremy McNichols. Without receiving any qualifying offers, all four players become unrestricted free agents.