First Call: Hope for Cole Holcomb at training camp; predictions on Cam Sutton's suspension; more slot for George Pickens?

Thursday’s “First Call” has tons of minicamp news from Steelers headquarters. Cole Holcomb, Cam Sutton and George Pickens are all focal points of conversation.

Plus, we examine Mitch Keller’s recent success for the Pirates.

Hope for Holcomb

For the first time in a while it sounds like there is some optimism for Cole Holcomb.

The Steelers inside linebacker suffered a significant knee injury last year in Game 8 of the regular season against Tennessee. The injury was so bad Steelers coaches and front office executives have refused to put a timetable for any sort of return date. But on Wednesday, at minicamp, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin finally offered a bit of a forecast.

Tomlin was asked, “Is Cole Holcomb on track to do some work at training camp?”

“Oh, I’m sure he is. I don’t have a lot of details about the specifics of it. But at every checkpoint, I think the experts are comfortable with his progress. And I know he’s working extremely hard,” Tomlin replied.

Obviously, there is a huge leap between “some work” and being on the field in a game. But the acquisition of Patrick Queen and the drafting of Payton Wilson should be enough to offset the departure of Kwon Alexander as well as Holcomb’s absence at inside linebacker.

“He can really run,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said of Wilson Wednesday. “That guy can move. I think he’s really sharp. He’s into football. He has great football questions. So, I think that he’s going to have a legitimate shot to be a dime linebacker right off the bat because that is one area that he can do.”

Holcomb was part of a three-man rotation with Alexander and Elandon Roberts last year that started to pop before Holcomb and Alexander were lost for the year in back-to-back weeks.

.@kwon knocks it out & @ColeHolcomb_ scoops it up!

????: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/T87FSnfvVk pic.twitter.com/8CX3fcvZLN

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 29, 2023

Along with Queen and Wlson, the Steelers can still lean on Roberts for a lot of snaps and turn to third-year pro Mark Robinson who has had some flashes at ILB his first two years.

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Juggling George

Given the Steelers’ lack of options at wide receiver this year, it sure would be nice to have more than one George Pickens.

Failing the ability to clone him between now and September, though, having one George Pickens line up in multiple spots to keep defenses guessing may be the next best option.

And Pickens seems to be on board with the idea. Speaking with me and a batch of other reporters Wednesday, the Steelers’ third-year pass catcher is claiming that he is getting a lot of work out of the slot in minicamp under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

In fact he went so far as to say he has worked more out of the slot in minicamp so far than he did in first two years in the league.

“It’s great. I’m a total receiver. So I like working in the slot just as much as I like working on outside receiver,” Pickens said. “It puts me on linebackers. It puts me on safeties. Not just putting me on one side of the field and letting a guy come over and help (the opposing cornerback). It puts me in the mix.”

Getting some slot reps could help Pickens’ yards-after-catch numbers if he is able to grab the ball in stride over the middle of the field.

According to Pro Football Reference, Pickens jumped from 104 yards after catch in his rookie year to 398 last season.

GEORGE PICKENS TOUCHDOWN AGAIN.

He can not be stopped tonight.

????: #CINvsPIT on NBC
????: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/yewPow3ekF pic.twitter.com/JbRic5KPmP

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2023

Getting some slot reps could boost those numbers even more — if Russell Wilson can find him and hit him on the mark in motion.

That may be a big if, given Wilson’s history of not using the middle of the field very effectively.

Sutton’s situation

Even though the Steelers decided to sign Cam Sutton and bring him back to the team in the wake of his offseason legal matters, the club is preparing to have him suspended for at least part of the 2024 campaign.

“I would imagine so,” defensive backs coach Grady Brown responded when posed with that possibility. “There is an expectation that I have to have that thought, we have to have that thought in our minds.”

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio told 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday that he thinks the suspension could be anywhere from six to 10 games.

Sutton is a former Steelers draft choice who was cut by the Lions this offseason and re-signed by Pittsburgh. Detroit let him go when Sutton was tagged with domestic violence charges in Florida and refused to turn himself in for 11 days.

The 2016 product of Tennessee was booked on one misdemeanor count of domestic battery before being released. The charge was reduced from a felony. Sutton was “released on his own recognizance” from jail.

Mitch’s momentum

How good has Mitch Keller been of late for the Pittsburgh Pirates (32-35)? Consider these numbers as he toes the rubber for the Bucs on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals (32-34).

• Keller’s last six starts have all been wins, for the team and for himself. His record has jumped from 2-3 on April 30 to 8-3 now.

• In that time, Keller has lowered his ERA from 5.18 to 3.16.

• In those six starts, Keller has completed at least six innings in every one of them and has only allowed five earned runs along the way. He’s also only allowed one home run in that time.

• Since April 30, Keller has walked just seven batters and struck out 35.

Mitch Keller is locked in for the @Pirates! ???? pic.twitter.com/TZvK4JfFHc

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 10, 2024

Generally, Keller has been pretty good against the Cardinals as well. In six career starts at Busch Stadium, Keller is 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA and a 25:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He’ll be opposed by veteran Lance Lynn who is 2-3 with a 3.58 ERA. The Pirates and Cards have split the first two games of their three-game set. Pittsburgh heads out to Colorado from Missouri for a weekend series.

After a 4-2 loss in St. Louis Wednesday, the Pirates sit in last place of the National League Central, 7.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are just a half game ahead of the Pirates.

LISTEN: Tim Benz and Kevin Gorman talk about Mitch Keller, Paul Skenes and more in this week’s Altered Genius Brewing/Barber School of Pittsburgh baseball podcast.