Steelers veteran reveals he almost retired during rehab following horrific knee injury
Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season. That's the last time Pittsburgh Steelers LB Cole Holcomb was active and on the field. After suffering a debilitating knee injury against the Tennesse Titans in that game on Thursday night, questions about his future with the Steelers and in the NFL in general were raised. But for Holcomb, […]
Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season.
That's the last time Pittsburgh Steelers LB Cole Holcomb was active and on the field.
After suffering a debilitating knee injury against the Tennesse Titans in that game on Thursday night, questions about his future with the Steelers and in the NFL in general were raised.
But for Holcomb, he's answering all of them:
Cole Holcomb returns to practice ahead of Week 18
"It was bad," Holcomb told the media regarding last season's knee injury this week. "I know there was that question [of never playing again]. But they just told me, 'If you go to work and you can come back, you can be good…
"…I love this game. [But] I also just had a kid. They count on you, wife and kid,"
Professional football is one of the few jobs where you have a finite amount of time. In most careers, you're just starting when you reach your 30's. In the NFL, if you even make it there you beat the odds by a mile.
Holcomb started the season on the PUP list (physically unable to perform) and after missing all of camp, the preseason and first month of the regular season, he largely became an afterthought in the rebuilt LB corps.
And there's a chance Holcomb still doesn't play a snap this season. To be clear, the team only opened his 21-day practice window, ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals game on Saturday.
That doesn't mean he's going to play, and he's only been a limited participant through two days of practice. But doubting Holcomb doesn't seem like a smart bet at this point.
We're talking about the Steelers' leading tackler prior to injury, the green dot and defensive signal caller. He was excellent in coverage and the team struggled to match tight ends and middle-of-the-field concepts for the back half of the season when he went down with injury.
That caused the Steelers to sign Patrick Queen to the richest free agent deal in franchise history and draft Payton Wilson on day two of the draft, with both becoming starters during their first year in Pittsburgh.
So for Holcomb, the fact that he's back is a win alone. If he can come back at all this season that's icing on the cake as the team looks to build the best inside LB corps in the sport in 2025.
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The train ride ends on Saturday.
