National media outlet has out-of-touch take on the job status of valued Pittsburgh Steelers vet

Holcomb a cut candidate?

Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Cole Holcomb to be the team's No. 1 inside linebacker. But he made it just eight games into the season before suffering a major knee injury. That led Pittsburgh back to the drawing board. It spent big bucks in free agency to lure Patrick Queen from the Ravens in March and used a Day 2 pick on North Carolina State's Payton Wilson, who may be the most NFL-ready off-ball linebacker in the class of 2024.

Holcomb's injury could make releasing him tricky. There are protections in place to ensure NFL teams can't just dump players who are hurt.

But every workout and day of training camp that he misses offers Wilson a chance to impress upon the coaching staff that he's capable of starting opposite Queen as a rookie.And if Wilson earns the role, Holcomb may get healthy just in time to be shown the door.
- Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report

Here's the thing, whether Holcomb is ready to play or not, (though there is reason to believe he will be) it's irrelevant in terms of his status on the roster. Holcomb signed a three-year deal last March, and his roster bonus doesn't trigger until 2025, meaning a decision on his future is likely to occur after this season. 

Sure Pittsburgh could save nearly $6m against the cap, but they already have $15m in cap space with most meaningful transactions likely done barring a big trade. Add on the fact that Holcomb was literally one of the best defenders on the team when healthy last season, and I can give you multiple cut candidates in the LB room alone who have a higher chance of being released. 

So between his usage rate and positive injury updates from Coach Tomlin just before the end of minicamp, it's safe to assume Holcomb is on the team, with a different Steelers starter more likely to be on the chopping block.