Steelers LB Cole Holcomb suffers season-ending knee injury in Week 9

The Pittsburgh Steelers received some more bad news on defense this week, as starting linebacker Cole Holcomb will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered in Thursday night’s win over the Titans. Holcomb unfortunately got tangled up in some friendly fire during a tackle of Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins, eventually carted off of the field before being taken to a local hospital. While he’s since been released, it’s clear there will be a long road ahead for Holcomb, who was having an excellent season in his year with the Steelers.

Holcomb was a former fifth round pick selected by Washington in the 2019 NFL Draft out of UNC. He signed three-year, $18 million contract with the Steelers in free agency this offseason, immediately making a name for himself on the defense. In eight games, Holcomb tallied 54 combined tackles, two forced fumbles (one recovery), two quarterback hits and four tackles for a loss. The Steelers will likely look to veteran Kwon Alexander (signed during training camp) and Elandon Roberts more reps in his absence.