The Pittsburgh Steelers have been dealing with several injuries to key players on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive tackle Cam Heyward returned to the field in Week 9 after injuring his groin in Week 1. Shortly after he returned to the lineup, more key players were sidelined.

The biggest loss was linebacker Cole Holcomb, who suffered a brutal knee injury against the Tennessee Titans in on Thursday Night Football. The injury was of the season-ending variety, which led to Kwon Alexander taking over as the green dot player on that side of the ball.

Unfortunately, another green dot player will have to be named. Alexander suffered a leg injury in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers in Week 10 and was forced to the sidelines. It is a brutal blow to a Steelers defense that will be using its third ‘green dot’ defender in as many weeks.

Alexander became an integral part of the team’s defensive game plan, playing a season-high 86 percent of the snaps against the Titans last week. Filling that void will not be easy as Mike Tomlin and his staff will be digging deep into their depth chart. 

Against the Packers, the Steelers turned to second-year linebacker Mark Robinson, who was getting his first extended playing time of the season. He will likely be playing alongside free agent veteran Elandon Roberts at the second level of Pittsburgh’s defense.

On the season, Alexander has 41 total tackles with one sack, five tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. His first interception of the season game against the Titans, icing away that victory.

There will be a lot of pressure on Robinson to step into the lineup, replacing two of the Steelers’ biggest offseason additions in Holcomb and Alexander. They were part of the team’s much-needed revamping of the linebacker position which was a weakness in 2022.

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