Biggest Question Nobody Is Asking About Steelers (And How They Answer It)

Arguably the biggest holes remaining on the Pittsburgh Steelers' roster are at inside linebacker and safety.

Safety has gathered more attention this offseason due to the amount of turnover amongst the group, as Jaquan Brisker was brought in on a cheaper-than-expected one-year deal worth $5.5 million to start alongside DeShon Elliott, who's returning from a significant knee and hamstring injury he suffered in Week 8 last year.

Pittsburgh also signed veteran Darnell Savage to a one-year contract after months of waiting for the agreement to become official, and it also selected speedster Robert Spears-Jennings in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

With questions about how Jalen Ramsey may also factor into the mix under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham after playing safety for the latter half of the 2025 campaign, the position has naturally sparked some debate.

As for inside linebacker, the discourse hasn't been quite as loud. Despite Patrick Queen's immense struggles last season and a lack of true growth from Payton Wilson thus far, the Steelers are keeping the same room as they had in 2025 with those two as well as Cole Holcomb (who re-signed on a two-year contract), Malik Harrison and Carson Bruener.

If Queen and Wilson can't bounce back or prove to be strong fits in Graham's system, what may Pittsburgh's contingency plan be in the middle of its defense?

Jun 9, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb (55) participates in drills during Minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

How Steelers Could Answer Potential Issues at ILB

Queen is facing plenty of pressure heading into the last season of his three-year, $51 million contract.

The two-time Pro Bowler is coming off perhaps the worst year of his career up to this point, which saw him suffer plenty of lapses in coverage while also leading the NFL in missed tackles with 31, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wilson, on the other hand, failed to take the type of leap the Steelers were hoping to see out of him during his second year in the league. The 26-year-old has the tools to be an elite coverage linebacker, though he has yet to fully take shape in that aspect of the game, and his run defense is below-average at best.

It'd be a bit unfair to call either Queen or Wilson total liabilities, as they're both still low-to-mid-level starters. They still make up perhaps the weakest group of starters on the Steelers' roster, and there has to be some level of concern about how they're going to rebound in 2026 after an uninspiring 2025 campaign.

Should neither rise to the occasion under Graham, the clearest answer for Pittsburgh would be to increase Cole Holcomb's snap count.

In his return from a serious knee injury that kept him off the field for a season-and-a-half, Holcomb played 198 defensive snaps over 14 games last year and proved himself to still be a good run-defending linebacker.

He's not some huge difference-maker, but Holcomb is a high-floor player that also is at least on par with Queen in coverage while being better against the run than both him and Wilson just going based on how they played in 2025.

In a world where one or both of Queen and Wilson do slip up, Holcomb is waiting in the wings and has to be called upon by the Steelers.

Harrison is a potential solution too in the final season of his two-year deal as a good run defender despite his severe limitations in coverage, but he may ultimately find himself as a cap casualty.

Bruener played just a single defensive snap as a rookie while emerging as a special teams stalwart. If Harrison is off the roster and he jumps into the No. 4 spot on the depth chart, however, there's a scenario where he receives a heightened opportunity of some sort on defense.

Queen and Wilson are capable of taking charge and running the show at inside linebacker. In case of another poor showing on their ends, though, Holcomb and perhaps Harrison or Bruener could be the answer at the position for Pittsburgh.

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