A former walk-on at North Carolina who fought back from a devastating knee injury to stay in Pittsburgh's linebacker room.
Cole Holcomb built his reputation as a tackling machine in Washington before signing with the Steelers in 2023. A gruesome knee injury cost him most of two seasons, but he returned to the field in 2025 and has since committed to Pittsburgh long-term.
Path to the league
Holcomb walked on at North Carolina and developed into a tackling force, finishing his college career with 328 tackles and second-team All-ACC honors as a senior. Washington drafted him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Holcomb started 48 of 50 games over four seasons in Washington, piling up 382 tackles including 233 solo stops. He signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 2023 and started the team's first eight games that season before a season-ending knee injury that also forced him to miss the entire 2024 campaign.
2025 season recap
Holcomb returned from injury in 2025, appearing in 14 games with three starts for the Steelers and recording 28 tackles, 18 of them solo, along with a forced fumble and nine special teams tackles. He signed a two-year, $5 million contract extension with Pittsburgh in March 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Cole Holcomb
- Pro Football Reference: Cole Holcomb
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
14 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | steelers | 14 | 37 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | steelers | 8 | 54 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2022 | commanders | 7 | 69 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | washington | 16 | 142 | 83 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 2020 | washington | 11 | 72 | 45 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | washington | 16 | 105 | 74 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- North Carolina
- Hometown
- New Smyrna Beach, FL, USA
- Age
- 30
- Status
- active
