Steelers' Cole Holcomb Injury More Concerning Than Believed

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be dealing with something larger than an ACL tear.

Nov 2, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb (55) leaves | Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb suffered a left knee injury in the middle of the 2023 season, shutting him down for the remainder of the year. Heading into the offseason, it was believed he could be ready to go by Week 1, but as time has passed, those hopes have become less optimistic.

The last several times head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan have talked to the media, they've been very vague about the status of Holcomb, saying there is not major update about his return. Speaking on the Adam and Gold Show, ESPN's Brooke Pryor said the knee injury - which was believed to be an ACL tear - could be something more serious.

"My understanding is it’s not just a simple ACL tear and they’re being very vague on what the specific injury is," Pryor said.

The Steelers added inside linebacker Patrick Queen during free agency and used their second third-round pick on Payton Wilson. That's likely insurance for if they have to head into the year without Holcomb, leaving their room with Queen, Wilson, Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson.

"I think this is in some ways insurance for the Cole Holcomb signing and gives them a starting-caliber inside linebacker to play when the season gets started, because Holcomb’s recovery timeline isn’t quite clear," Pryor said.

The Steelers will begin OTAs this month and finish minicamp in June. From there, they'll set off for Latrobe at the end of July to begin training camp. As of now, it's unknown if Holcomb will be available for any of the offseason workouts.

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