The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2024.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do the same here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are linebackers Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb.

Elandon Roberts

Position: Inside Linebacker
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 8
Contract Status: Signed through 2024
Contract Details: $4,667,500 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $1,167,500 in dead money if released and save $3,500,000.
Games played in 2023: 16 regular season
Games started in 2023: 15 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 581 (defense), 186 (special teams)
PFF score: 72.2 (26th of 82)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Roberts had 101 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 2 passes defensed.

Notes: Originally brought to Pittsburgh to be more of a run-stopping linebacker, Roberts stepped up after the injuries to both Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander. Showing he could be an every-down linebacker, Roberts kept things going at the position much more than expected. Dealing with significant injuries at the end of the season, Roberts powered through and still gave the Steelers as many snaps as he could to help the depleted position group. Despite turning 30 this offseason, Roberts has shown he still has a lot to offer as an NFL linebacker and is currently the Steelers best option at the position heading into next season.

Cole Holcomb

Position: Inside Linebacker
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 5
Contract Status: Signed through 2025
Contract Details: $7,640,000 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $3,280,000 in dead money if released and save $4,360,000.
Games played in 2023: 8 regular season
Games started in 2023: 8 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 447 (defense), 31 (special teams)
PFF score: 64.2 (51st of 82)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Holcomb had 54 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and 2 passes defensed.

Notes: There are a lot of questions about Cole Holcomb entering the 2024 season, and it’s really about his health. Suffering a significant knee injury during the Steelers Week 9 game against the Tennessee Titans, Holcomb saw an early end to a promising 2023 season. It was one of several “friendly fire” injuries the Steelers suffered on defense this past year. With head coach Mike Tomlin not bringing optimistic words at his end-of-the-season press conference, banking on Holcomb to be ready to start training camp is likely not in the cards for the Steelers although it’s not also out of the question. With two years left on his contract, hopefully the injury to Holcomb isn’t to a degree where he can return and still be a key contributor to the Steelers defense at some point next season.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Broderick Jones & Chuks Okorafor
Joey Porter Jr. & Levi Wallace
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Rodney Williams
Nick Herbig & Markus Golden
Cory Trice Jr. & James Pierre
Spencer Anderson & Dylan Cook
Kenny Pickett & Mason Rudolph
George Pickens & Miles Boykin
DeMarvin Leal & Armon Watts
Calvin Austin III & Allen Robinson
Connor Heyward & Godwin Igwebuike
Mark Robinson & Blake Martinez
Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren
Pat Freiermuth & Diontae Johnson
Dan Moore Jr. & Mason Cole
Isaiahh Loudermilk & Larry Ogunjobi
Pressley Harvin & Christian Kuntz
Kwon Alexander & Mykal Walker
Miles Killebrew & Elijah Riley
Chandon Sullivan & Darius Rush
Cam Heyward & Patrick Peterson
Isaac Seumalo & Nate Herbig
Alex Highsmith & Kyron Johnson