90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cole Holcomb, Donte Jackson, Van Jefferson

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offseason workouts ended in mid-June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which begins at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in late July. Leading up to the Steelers’ training camp, we’ll be doing a series of posts looking at the team’s offseason roster, three players at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which also includes projections for each player, will be sorted alphabetically by last name for easy followability. This series is expected to include more than 90 players this year, as the team will be able to bring a total of 91 players with them during the offseason due to the team’s international designation being allowed.

The next players we will feature before the Steelers’ 2024 training camp are Cole Holcomb, Donte Jackson and Van Jefferson.

ILB Cole Holcomb: After signing a three-year, $18 million unrestricted free agent contract in March 2023, the North Carolina native and former fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft began last season as the starter at inside linebacker. A serious knee injury sustained during the Steelers’ Week 8 game against the Tennessee Titans ended Holcomb’s 2023 season, and he landed on the team’s reserve/injured list after undergoing surgery.

In the eight games Holcomb played for the Steelers in 2023, he recorded 54 total tackles, four for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and two passes defensed. In the games he started, he wore the green dot helmet for the Steelers and played a total of 447 defensive snaps before getting injured. Pro Football Focus gave Holcomb a 65.5 overall grade for his 2023 defensive play. However, his run defense grade was higher at 72.2.

Outlook: Holcomb’s return from his serious knee injury in 2023 will be one to watch for the rest of the summer. On the surface, rehab appears to be going well, but the start of training camp will show how true that is. There is a chance Holcomb opens the team’s 2024 training camp on the Active/PUP list. If that happens, it will be interesting to see if he can get himself off that list before the start of the 2024 regular season. There is some speculation that Holcomb could be released in late summer if it looks like he can’t return to form. That’s just idle offseason talk at the moment, though.

The Steelers reinvested in their inside linebacker position this past offseason by signing Patrick Queen to a lucrative three-year deal. With Queen on the roster, he is expected to be a go-to player on defense on every down. Assuming Holcomb is able to play for the Steelers again in 2024, he likely won’t be on the field as much as he had planned in 2023. The Steelers also have veteran ILB Elandon Roberts on their roster, which could further complicate things for Holcomb in terms of total playing time. In addition, the Steelers selected ILB Payton Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

In conclusion, it is really hard to predict what kind of 2024 season Holcomb might have, especially because of the injury he suffered last season and the additions the Steelers made to his position this offseason.

CB Donte Jackson: Jackson came to Pittsburgh in the offseason via a trade with the Carolina Panthers. As part of that trade, the Steelers sent WR Diontae Johnson to the Panthers. The Steelers immediately had Jackson re-sign the final year of his current contract, which resulted in a significant salary cut. He is now set to earn $6 million in 2024.

Jackson, a former second-round draft pick in 2018, played in 16 games in 2023 and recorded 59 total tackles, five for loss, five passes defensed and one forced fumble. He played 903 total defensive snaps and three more on special teams.

Jackson has had 14 interceptions since entering the NFL, and last season was his first in which he did not record at least one interception. Jackson has primarily played outside cornerback in the NFL, but he did play some snaps in the slot during his several seasons with the Panthers.

Outlook: With Jackson coming via trade in the offseason and set to make $6 million in 2024, it’s hard to imagine him not opening next season as the Steelers’ outside starting cornerback, counterpart to Joey Porter Jr. Jackson performed well in man coverage last season, but that was a small sample of snaps, and his performance in man coverage in 2023 hasn’t matched up to previous seasons when he was called upon to do so with the Panthers.

Jackson’s running game has been very average and patchy throughout his NFL career, so that phase of his defensive game will need to be closely monitored now that he is a member of the Steelers. All in all, Jackson should play quite a bit in 2024, and as long as his overall play is above average, he should remain a starter. However, Jackson is likely not immune to being benched in 2024 if he allows too many pass catches and big plays. He only has a contract for the 2024 season, so his play this upcoming season will determine his future.

Jackson has 14 interceptions in his NFL career, and if he can throw three or four more in 2024, it would certainly be a plus for the Steelers. The Steelers’ cornerbacks combined for just six interceptions last season, and it would be nice to see the 2024 group surpass that number, with Jackson having a few of those.

WR Van Jefferson: The Steelers signed Jefferson to a one-year, $1.2925 million free agent contract in March. The contract included a $167,500 signing bonus. Jefferson comes to Pittsburgh after playing for both the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons in 2023. The Rams, the team that selected Jefferson out of Florida in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, traded Jefferson to the Falcons last October.

Overall, Jefferson recorded just 20 pass catches for 209 yards and no touchdowns on 43 total attempts last season. His longest pass catch in 2023 was 46 yards, and he recorded three drops on the season. Overall, Jefferson played 621 offensive snaps in 2023, 356 of which were with the Falcons. Although Jefferson saw decent playing time on offense in 2023, he did not play on special teams.

Outlook: The Steelers’ signing of Jefferson this offseason is likely due to the fact that he played for the team’s new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, last season in Atlanta. Smith and Jefferson know each other well, and that could be very beneficial for the team during the offseason now that the new offense is fully established. Jefferson has been in the NFL for a few years now, so he can serve as a mentor of sorts to the younger wide receivers under contract for the time being.

Overall, Jefferson has been a bit of a bust at the NFL level, especially considering he was originally a second-round pick. His best season came in 2021 with the Rams, when he caught 50 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns that year. He’s a tough opponent to match up with in Pittsburgh, especially since the team will likely use a lot of two- and three-man wide receiver groups. Still, there’s a potential role for him with the Steelers in 2024, especially as a second, third or fourth wide receiver and if he can improve his run blocking and route running.

Jefferson has never been known as a big asset on special teams, so if he doesn’t secure a second or third wide receiver job this summer in training camp and the preseason, that could ultimately hurt him. The Steelers didn’t invest a lot of money in Jefferson, so he’s not guaranteed anything before the team hits Latrobe in late July. If he stays, 20-25 receptions in 2024 seems to be the max for him.

Previous posts in this series:

90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Montravius ​​Adams, Kyle Allen, Spencer Anderson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Grayland Arnold, Calvin Austin III, Anthony Averett
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Kalon Barnes, Tyler Beach, Keeanu Benton
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Beanie Bishop Jr., Chris Boswell, Marquez Callaway
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jack Colletto, Dylan Cook, Jacob Copeland
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – James Daniels, Daijun Edwards, DeShon Elliott
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Justin Fields, Joey Fisher, Dez Fitzpatrick
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Zach Frazier, Pat Freiermuth
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Thomas Graham Jr., Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Najee Harris, Nate Herbig, Nick Herbig
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cameron Heyward, Connor Heyward, Alex Highsmith