After going through intense rehab to come back from a gruesome knee injury in 2023, Cole Holcomb is back on the field for Steelers OTAs at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
In fact, he's been back since the start of the voluntary offseason workout program in April. And after everything he's gone through, he's not taking it for granted.
"It feels great," Holcomb said today following practice. "Looking back, you never know. One play can end your season. You take stuff for granted. Now, I'm just soaking everything up, enjoying it, having fun out there."
Holcomb did return to the practice field near the end of last season as the team prepared for the playoffs. Had the Steelers gone on a longer run, Holcomb had a chance to play. However, for his case alone, it's good the team didn't play long enough to need him.
"I felt good," Holcomb said. "But it probably wouldn't have been the best idea."
The rehab process for Holcomb was slow. There were milestones upon milestones in coming back from an injury in which he still won't reveal the full details. But, it was bad enough to keep him out of action for the past 28 games, including playoffs. That's hard for an admittedly impatient person.
"Definitely had some days where you just want to be out there and it's frustrating," Holcomb said. "It's just take it one day at a time and just keep chopping wood."
"Chopping wood" was the phrase Holcomb would say to me over and over again throughout the season. He approached each day as it came. But, he also made the most of every opportunity, especially on the sidelines during games.
"You learn a lot. I think it helped me tremendously," Holcomb said. "Listening to the coaches talk and then also taking a step back. When you're running the defense or you're doing stuff when you're five yards from the line of scrimmage, you can't see as much. ... It was definitely a help to see the forest for the trees kind of thing, taking a step back and see the big picture."
Holcomb's now part of the mix at inside linebacker, which is a lot different than it was when he first signed ahead of the 2023 season. Patrick Queen's the green dot guy and Payton Wilson is coming off a solid rookie season in which he played quite a bit of snaps. Should Holcomb play anything close to the level he was prior to his injury, that could be a big boost for the position. Of course, coming off such a serious injury, he knows he's not going to be handed anything.
That's why, no matter what people said, he was determined to do whatever it took during rehab to get back on the field. He's got more playing to do.
"In my mind, it was just do everything I've gotta do to get back," Holcomb said. "Just go to work, come to work every day and prove myself again."
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
6:51 pm - 06.03.2025South SideHolcomb 'soaking everything up' at OTAs
After going through intense rehab to come back from a gruesome knee injury in 2023, Cole Holcomb is back on the field for Steelers OTAs at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
In fact, he's been back since the start of the voluntary offseason workout program in April. And after everything he's gone through, he's not taking it for granted.
"It feels great," Holcomb said today following practice. "Looking back, you never know. One play can end your season. You take stuff for granted. Now, I'm just soaking everything up, enjoying it, having fun out there."
Holcomb did return to the practice field near the end of last season as the team prepared for the playoffs. Had the Steelers gone on a longer run, Holcomb had a chance to play. However, for his case alone, it's good the team didn't play long enough to need him.
"I felt good," Holcomb said. "But it probably wouldn't have been the best idea."
The rehab process for Holcomb was slow. There were milestones upon milestones in coming back from an injury in which he still won't reveal the full details. But, it was bad enough to keep him out of action for the past 28 games, including playoffs. That's hard for an admittedly impatient person.
"Definitely had some days where you just want to be out there and it's frustrating," Holcomb said. "It's just take it one day at a time and just keep chopping wood."
"Chopping wood" was the phrase Holcomb would say to me over and over again throughout the season. He approached each day as it came. But, he also made the most of every opportunity, especially on the sidelines during games.
"You learn a lot. I think it helped me tremendously," Holcomb said. "Listening to the coaches talk and then also taking a step back. When you're running the defense or you're doing stuff when you're five yards from the line of scrimmage, you can't see as much. ... It was definitely a help to see the forest for the trees kind of thing, taking a step back and see the big picture."
Holcomb's now part of the mix at inside linebacker, which is a lot different than it was when he first signed ahead of the 2023 season. Patrick Queen's the green dot guy and Payton Wilson is coming off a solid rookie season in which he played quite a bit of snaps. Should Holcomb play anything close to the level he was prior to his injury, that could be a big boost for the position. Of course, coming off such a serious injury, he knows he's not going to be handed anything.
That's why, no matter what people said, he was determined to do whatever it took during rehab to get back on the field. He's got more playing to do.
"In my mind, it was just do everything I've gotta do to get back," Holcomb said. "Just go to work, come to work every day and prove myself again."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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