LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers GM Omar Khan said he felt good about his depth at all positions heading into the season. He also was going to leave wiggle room in case he needed to add another player. Late Saturday night he brought in a veteran linebacker.
First reported by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, the Steelers added 28-year-old Kwon Alexander. This agreement is pending a physical as Alexander worked out for them in May. He played 17 games (12 starts) with the Jets in 2022 with 69 tackles, six tackles for loss.
A fourth-round pick of the Bucs in 2015, the 6’1”, 227-pounder led the NFL in solo tackles (108) in 2016 adding 12 tackles for loss and three sacks. Alexander missed games due to injury the next six seasons. When healthy, five times he’s played over 90% of his team’s defensive snaps. Last year was the first time he played a full season since 2016, but only played half the Jets defensive snaps. He was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the 44th best middle linebacker, ranked highest for his pass rushing ability and worst for his pass coverage.
Steelers already added a pair of likely starters this year at middle linebacker with Cole Holcomb (three years, $18 million) and Elandon Roberts (two years, $7 million), plus signed Bethel Park native Nick Kwiatkoski to a one-year deal last month. Second-year Mark Robinson, a seventh-round pick, is another part of the middle linebacker depth.
