The Pittsburgh Steelers have suffered a rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball in recent weeks. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has been sidelined by a hamstring injury, but at least the team knows he will be returning to the field at some point this season.
The same cannot be said for their linebackers. Offseason additions Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander were part of the Steelers’ plans to overhaul the second level of their defense. Every linebacker from last season was either released or departed in free agency.
Unfortunately, Holcomb and Alexnader went down in consecutive weeks with season-ending injuries. That has left a huge void in the middle of the Steelers’ defense, which relied on free agent veteran Elandon Roberts and newcomer Mykal Walker at linebacker. Safety Trenton Thompson also played a key role at the second level of the team’s defense.
Looking to alleviate some of those issues, the team was active in free agency to start the week. Myles Jack, who retired from the NFL earlier this year, came out of retirement to rejoin the team. He spent the 2022 season in Pittsburgh and should see snaps right away, as long as he is in shape, as he knows the scheme.
Joining him will be veteran Blake Martinez, who was on the Carolina Panthers practice squad. Like Jack, Martinez was retired to begin the season but changed course after running into some issues with his Pokemon card-selling company.
Martinez played in four games last season with the Las Vegas Raiders before deciding to step away from the NFL. He will take a little longer to get up to speed than Jack, but it would not be surprising to see him on the field in some capacity in Week 12 as the Steelers are very short-handed.
In addition to the linebacker injuries, the Steelers placed safety Elijah Riley on injured reserve. He is the second safety, along with Keanu Neal last week, to land on IR. With Fitzpatrick still sidelined, the team’s depth is being tested at the second and third levels of their defense.
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