 Holcomb with the Washington Football Team in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 55 –Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1996-07-30)July 30, 1996 (age 28) New Smyrna Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | New Smyrna Beach | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | North Carolina (2015–2018) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2019: 5th round, 173rd pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Reserve/PUP | ||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Cole Holcomb (born July 30, 1996) is an American professionalfootballlinebacker for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football atNorth Carolina and was selected by theWashington Redskins in the fifth round of the2019 NFL draft.
Holcomb walked on to the team as a freshman and appeared in all 14 games, mainly onspecial teams. His playing time grew as he continued to improve and eventually earned a scholarship, playing in 35 games over the next three seasons as he became the startingmiddle linebacker. In his senior season at Carolina, he appeared in all 11 games (the Tar Heels' game against UCF was canceled due toHurricane Florence). He earned second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference Honors for his play as a senior.[1]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+1⁄4 in (1.86 m) | 231 lb (105 kg) | 31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 4.51 s | 1.59 s | 2.60 s | 4.14 s | 6.77 s | 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) | 22 reps | ||
| All values fromNorth Carolina'sPro Day[2][3] | ||||||||||||
Holcomb was selected by theWashington Redskins in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the2019 NFL draft.[4] On May 9, 2019, the Washington Redskins signed Holcomb to a four-year, $2.75 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $234,884.
In Week 8 against theMinnesota Vikings, Holcomb forced afumble onwide receiverStefon Diggs that was recovered by teammateRyan Anderson in the 19–9 loss.[5] In week 12 against theDetroit Lions, Holcomb recorded a team high 13 tackles andsackedJeff Driskel once in the 19–16 win.[6]
In Week 7 against theDallas Cowboys, Holcomb recorded a sack onAndy Dalton and later intercepted a pass thrown by Dalton during the 25–3 win.[7]In Week 16 against theCarolina Panthers, Holcomb led the team with 11 tackles and sackedTeddy Bridgewater once during the 20–13 loss.[8]
Holcomb recorded an interception onJameis Winston in Week 5 of the 2021 season against theNew Orleans Saints.[9] In Week 14, he recorded eight tackles and interceptedDak Prescott and returned it 31 yards for his first career touchdown in a 27–20 loss to the Cowboys.[10] He was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on December 22, 2021, and forced to sit out of the Week 16 game against the Cowboys.[11] On December 27, he was placed back on the active roster.[12]
Holcomb entered the 2022 season as the Commanders' starting middle linebacker.[13] He missed four games with a knee injury before being placed oninjured reserve on November 25, 2022.[14] On December 5, 2022, Holcomb underwent foot surgery, ending his season.[15] He finished the 2022 season with 60 tackles and one pass deflection over seven games.
On March 16, 2023, thePittsburgh Steelers signed Holcomb to a three-year, $18 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $4.92 million.[16][17] In Week 9, Holcomb's first season with the Steelers ended after a serious knee injury.[18] He finished the season with 54 total tackles, four for a loss, twoquarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and two passes defensed.[19]
Holcomb began the 2024 season on the reserve/PUP list while recovering from the knee injury.[20]
