Steelers Scenario Series, Part 8: Best and Worst Cases for the Linebackers

The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers roster is an intriguing mix of fresh talent and seasoned veterans on both sides of the ball, and each position group will have it’s own challenges to develop into an efficient, productive squad like the Front Office and Coaching Staff envision them to be. The Steelers don’t do hard resets and they never plan to be bad, and that philosophy brings with it the expectation for each group to provide winning level play every year.

With recent Draft picks looking to find their footing, new Free Agent and Trade acquisitions getting acclimated, and familiar faces returning for another year, there’s a lot of variables that play into fielding a winning roster. In this series, we’ll identify a “lynchpin” player (player who’s success or failure will most heavily impact the group) and a rising star for each position, as well as determine the best- and worst-case scenarios for the 2025 season based on the current roster.

Up next: Linebackers

Click HERE for previous articles in series, including:

Offensive Line
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Defensive Line
Edge Rushers

ON THE ROSTER

Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Malik Harrison, Mark Robinson, Carson Bruener (R), Devin Harper

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Lynchpin Player: Patrick Queen
Rising Star: Payton Wilson

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Patrick Queen enters Year 2 in Pittsburgh with a chip on his shoulder after an uneven, but serviceable, debut season in black and gold. A full offseason in the system and a more refined role with Payton Wilson taking on more responsibility in year 2 allow him to play faster and cleaner, giving the Steelers the rangy, disruptive force they paid big Free Agent dollars for last offseason. Wilson builds on the promise he flashed as a rookie and settles in as the full-time starter next to Queen, emerging as a potential Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker with speed, instincts, and violence at the point of contact. Malik Harrison steps in as a reliable downhill thumper and fills Elandon Roberts’ vacated early-down role with stout play against power run schemes, and adds core Special Teams playmaking on the side. Cole Holcomb returns to health and finds a niche as a depth linebacker and situational contributor, while Mark Robinson and rookie Carson Bruener compete fiercely for a final roster spot—bringing special teams value and rotational upside. If everything clicks, this unit quietly becomes one of the most balanced linebacker groups the Steelers have fielded in recent seasons, and maybe one of the best units in the league.

WORST CASE SCENARIO

Queen remains inconsistent, with splash plays offset by missed fits and coverage lapses, which keeps the middle of the defense vulnerable. Wilson fails to progress in Year 2, struggling to read offenses and react quickly, and limiting his impact in both the run and the pass. Holcomb isn’t able to regain his pre-injury form and Harrison underwhelms in his new role, failing to bring the same edge Roberts provided. With the top options shaky and no standout depth emerging, the linebacker corps feels pieced together, leaving Pittsburgh exposed in the run game and soft in the underneath zones—areas the league’s best quarterbacks are all too happy to exploit. Robinson and Bruener don’t develop enough to make a splash, and the position becomes the weak link in the defense.