This is the sixth in a series looking at the Steelers by position heading into their 2024 training camp at Saint Vincent College July 24. Today: Inside Linebacker
Players (6): Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, Mark Robinson, Payton Wilson, Tyler Murray
The Steelers have tried a number of different ways to fill the void left by the career-ending injury suffered by inside linebacker Ryan Shazier near the end of the 2017 season. And in 2023, it appeared they might finally have done so when they brought in veterans Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Kwon Alexander as free agents.
That trio was playing well early in the season until both Holcomb and Alexander went down with season-ending injuries in Weeks 8 and 9, leaving Roberts as the lone holdover.
The remainder of the season, Roberts was a stabilizing factor, but the Steelers shuffled a number of different players into the lineup beside him in an attempt to find the right effective combination.
With that in mind, the Steelers went to more of a long-term solution at inside linebacker this season, signing second-team All-Pro Patrick Queen away from the Ravens in free agency. The team also selected 2023 Chuck Bednarik and Butkus awards winning Payton Wilson of North Carolina State in the third round of the draft, getting younger and even more athletic at the position.
With Roberts back, as well, the Steelers could go from a situation at the end of the 2023 season where they had little to no depth at inside linebacker, to one where they have a bevy of riches – especially if Holcomb is cleared to return from the serious leg injury he suffered last season.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin liked what he saw of that group during the offseason program – even without Holcomb doing any on-field work. The next step is seeing what it looks like at training camp at Saint Vincent College.
"The true test will come once we put the pads on," Austin said. "We know some of those guys have resumes in this league with pads on, but it's really more of the unknown with the young guys seeing them with pads on how they adjust and adapt to the NFL life."
Queen comes off a season in Baltimore in which he had a career-high 133 tackles, including nine for a loss, one interception, 3.5 sacks and six pass defenses.
Some have suggested that Baltimore's addition of Roquan Smith at the trade deadline in 2022 allowed Queen to take off as a player, but Queen was already having a good 2022 season before the arrival of Smith. Smith's presence, however, did lead Baltimore to not pick up the fifth-year option on its 2020 first-round draft pick, allowing the Steelers to scoop up the 25-year-old linebacker.
Roberts led the Steelers with 101 tackles, including 10 for a loss, while also adding 2.5 sacks. His downhill style should mesh well with the sideline-to-sideline play of Queen.
Holcomb had 54 tackles, including four for a loss, in eight games before suffering a broken leg. He worked on the side with trainers throughout the offseason program, awaiting final clearances from doctors to resume on-field activities.
Wilson recorded 138 tackles, including 17.5 for a loss, three interceptions, 6 sacks and six pass defenses last season at North Carolina State.
The speedy linebacker ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and looked smooth in position drills. But he fell to the third round in the NFL Draft after reports surfaced that an injury suffered early in his career left him without an ACL in one knee.
"When I went to the Combine, that was the first time I heard of it," Wilson said. "I haven't had problems with my knee since 2018. … My knees don't bother me, and I'm not going to have problems with them."
Robinson, a seventh-round draft pick in 2022, faces a critical season. The former college running back appeared in 17 games last season, making two starts, and recorded 30 tackles and one forced fumble.
Tyler Murray rounds out the position for the Steelers. The former Memphis and Charlotte star spent time on the Steelers' practice squad in 2023 after signing with the Bengals as an undrafted rookie last year.
