Veteran Holcomb is All Smiles
by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published August 6, 2026, 4:04 PM
Cole Holcomb Finds New Freedom in Patrick Graham’s Defense While Embracing a New Chapter in Pittsburgh
Latrobe, PA – Cole Holcomb has seen enough football to know the difference between a coach teaching a scheme and a coach teaching players how to think.
Now entering his eighth NFL season after 72 career games, the veteran linebacker isn’t dismissing what came before.
In fact, he’s resolute in praising the foundation Mike Tomlin’s staff built.
“Nah, I mean, you know, ton of respect for the old staff… nothing but the best.”
Then comes the smile.
“I love what PG brings.”
Patrick Graham has earned that respect throughout one of football’s most diverse coaching journeys. The Yale graduate has coached nearly every front-seven position imaginable, won a Super Bowl in New England. He coordinated defenses with the Dolphins, Giants and Raiders, and now brings that wealth of experience to Pittsburgh.
His resume isn’t built on one system. It’s built on adaptation, teaching and constantly evolving.
For a veteran like Holcomb, that’s refreshing. Luckily, I was fortunate enough that Cole explained a little bit of the inner working of the Steelers’ new defensive play-caller.
Graham Enters Year One in Pittsburgh
It appears Graham’s isn’t simply telling players where to stand.
Concepts, leverage, spacing and offensive intent. It’s the same teachings everywhere in the league.
Every NFL coach teaches those things.
That’s like every pizza place claiming they use dough, sauce and cheese. The ingredients are the same. The difference is who’s making the pie.
Talking with Holcomb, Graham has a way of taking football’s everyday language and making it click, turning classroom concepts into something players actually enjoy learning.
The smartest defenses aren’t robotic.
They’re instinctive, and Graham’s approach gives veterans the confidence to trust what they see instead of waiting to be told what to do.
Holcomb lights up describing it.
“He’s so smart. It’s fun picking his brain. He’s one of those dudes that loves ball. His door’s always open. You want to go in there and watch film? He’s always down.”
That’s coach speak players genuinely mean. Veterans don’t spend extra hours in the film room because they have to. They do it because they’re learning something worthwhile. The atmosphere is refreshing to them.
Holcomb explained that Graham gives players the framework before handing them the keys.
“This is the defense we’re running. Here are your tools. Use them at your discretion. It gives you that autonomy.”
That autonomy matters.
Rather than forcing every linebacker into identical reactions, I get the sense Graham allows football intelligence to take over.
“There’s times where it’s like, ‘Why didn’t you do this?’… and it’s like, ‘I felt like I had good leverage.’ Or, ‘I wanted to pop this and see if it’d mess up their targeting and make a play.’ It’s a good time.”
That’s high-level defensive football. Trust experienced players to diagnose, adjust and create negative plays instead of playing cautiously inside rigid assignments.
As for Holcomb himself?
The veteran looks every bit ready for another season. He joked that becoming a father again has helped.
“I got my new dad strength. It’s about to double. Another kid on the way.”
Most dads know exactly what that means even if the extra strength usually comes from finishing the kids’ chicken nuggets.
Judging by Holcomb’s physique, though, those nuggets probably never make it onto his plate. He’s noticeably bulked up, physically imposing, and looks built to handle another demanding NFL season.
Watching this fifth round pick out of North Carolina develop into the player he has become. Seeing him rebound from a horrific knee injury that cost him nine games in 2023 and his entire 2024 season with complete dedication to his craft.
Now he is all smiles after practice with another addition to his family on the way.
Oh yeah, he thinks his new defensive coordinator is pretty cool as well.
The Steelers are counting on that veteran presence.
More importantly, they’re counting on a linebacker whose experience allows him to maximize everything Graham is putting on the chalkboard. When a player who’s been around the league calls a coach’s mind “fun to pick,” that’s not empty praise.
That’s respect earned from one football mind to another.
Excited to watch 55 get after it in 2026.
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
