Cole Holcomb

Cole Holcomb
refer to caption
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 / round: 5 / pick: 173
Career history
Roster status:Reserve/PUP
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-ACC (2018)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:442
Sacks:4.5
Forced fumbles:7
Fumble recoveries:2
Interceptions:3
Pass deflections:12
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Cole Holcomb (born July 30, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

College career

Holcomb walked on to the team as a freshman and appeared in all 14 games, mainly on special 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 starting middle linebacker. In his senior season at Carolina, he appeared in all 11 games (the Tar Heels' game against UCF was canceled due to Hurricane Florence). He earned second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference Honors for his play as a senior.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
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 ft 1+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 from North Carolina's Pro Day[2][3]

Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders

2019

Holcomb was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the 2019 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 the Minnesota Vikings, Holcomb forced a fumble on wide receiver Stefon Diggs that was recovered by teammate Ryan Anderson in the 19–9 loss.[5] In week 12 against the Detroit Lions, Holcomb recorded a team high 13 tackles and sacked Jeff Driskel once in the 19–16 win.[6]

2020

In Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys, Holcomb recorded a sack on Andy Dalton and later intercepted a pass thrown by Dalton during the 25–3 win.[7] In Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers, Holcomb led the team with 11 tackles and sacked Teddy Bridgewater once during the 20–13 loss.[8]

2021

Holcomb returning an interception for a touchdown in 2021

Holcomb recorded an interception on Jameis Winston in Week 5 of the 2021 season against the New Orleans Saints.[9] In Week 14, he recorded eight tackles and intercepted Dak 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]

2022

Holcomb entered the 2022 season as the Commanders' starting middle linebacker.[13] He missed four games with a knee injury before being placed on injured 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.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On March 16, 2023, the Pittsburgh 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, two quarterback 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]

References

  1. ^ "2018 Football Roster". GoHeels.com. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  2. ^ "Cole Holcomb, DS #10 ILB, North Carolina". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  3. ^ "Cole Holcomb Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Jennings, Scott (April 27, 2019). "Washington Redskins select North Carolina ILB Cole Holcomb in fifth round of 2019 NFL Draft". SB Nation. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  5. ^ "Cook, Vikings wear down Redskins 19-9 for 4th straight win". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  6. ^ "Redskins come back to beat Lions for 2nd win of season". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 24, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  7. ^ "Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team - October 25th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Carolina Panthers at Washington Football Team - December 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Manning, Bryan (October 12, 2021). "Washington report card: How we graded Washington in loss vs. Saints". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "Washington-Cowboys Monday Stats Pack". WashingtonFootball.com. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  11. ^ Manning, Bryan (December 22, 2021). "Cole Holcomb placed on reserve/COVID-19 list". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  12. ^ Cadeaux, Ethan (December 27, 2021). "WFT activates Scherff, Holcomb from reserve/COVID-19 list". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  13. ^ Lambert, Ivan (August 3, 2022). "Commanders Cole Holcomb comfortable at 'Mike' linebacker". USAToday.com. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  14. ^ Brener, Jeremy (November 25, 2022). "Commanders Place LB Cole Holcomb on IR; Who Replaces Him?". SI.com. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  15. ^ Alper, Josh (December 5, 2022). "Cole Holcomb out for year after foot surgery". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  16. ^ Varley, Teresa (March 16, 2023). "Holcomb signed to three-year contract". Steelers.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  17. ^ "Spotrac.com: Cole Holcomb contract". Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  18. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 6, 2023). "Holcomb placed on IR; McFarland activated". Steelers.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  19. ^ Simmons, Myles (November 3, 2023). "Report: Cole Holcomb out for season with serious knee injury". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  20. ^ Varley, Teresa (August 27, 2024). "Steelers trim 2024 roster to 53 players". Steelers.com.
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