Washington Football Team: Five bold predictions vs. Cowboys in Week 7
By Ian Cummings
No. 4 – Cole Holcomb has a breakout performance at linebacker
Cole Holcomb came back to the defensive lineup for the first time since Week 1 last Sunday, and he immediately filed back into a premier role, earning his first start of the season in place of veteran linebacker Thomas Davis.
Holcomb played well, logging seven total tackles and a tackle for loss in what was a particularly under-the-radar, yet instinctive performance. Holcomb could be trending toward a larger-scale breakout, and against a limping Cowboys offense, opportunity may just be knocking on the door.
Holcomb certainly has the athleticism to be a standout player at his position; at his North Carolina pro day in 2019, Holcomb put up a 4.48 40-yard dash, a 39.5-inch vertical, a 132-inch broad jump, and a 6.77 three-cone time. All this came while standing at a thickly built 6-foot-1, 232 pounds.
Holcomb’s athletic profile places him above over 97 percent of all linebackers ever to test, but while he’s a truly uncommon athlete, his breakout hasn’t yet happened. Perhaps that will change this week; Andy Dalton appears uncomfortable, Dallas is crumbling and out of sync, and Holcomb has superior athleticism to that of surprise tight end Dalton Schultz.
The Washington Football Team itself might not win, but Cole Holcomb has a good chance to win in his own way, and in doing so, he could help Washington win down the road, by providing rare, competent linebacker play.