Cole Holcomb ready to assume middle linebacker role for Commanders

The Washington Commanders‘ 2022 roster is mostly set in stone. Given their unwillingness to spend money, fans should expect depth signings with maybe one or two higher-profile pickups between now and the end of OTAs.

The position that has nearly every Washington fan up in arms is linebacker. After bypassing several options in free agency, the front office confusingly opted against taking one with their allotment of eight picks in the draft.

With OTAs getting going in a few days, the Commanders’ linebacker rotation consists of Cole Holcomb, sophomore Jamin Davis, journeyman David Mayo, 2020 fifth-rounder Khaleke Hudson and former undrafted free agent Milo Eifler.

The expectation is Jamin Davis will transition to an off-ball role after he struggled adapting to the MIKE position as a rookie. Near the end of the season, Holcomb saw more reps in the latter role after playing a weakside role for most of the year.

With seemingly no incentive to sign or trade for a middle linebacker, Holcomb is the clearcut favorite to assume the position. In a recent interview, the 25-year-old expressed confidence in shouldering a bigger responsibility.

Commanders 2021 breakout star Cole Holcomb is ready to play the middle linebacker role for the defense.

"“I feel like I’m going to take control of this defense and take charge of the Mike spot,” Holcomb told Julie Donaldson in an interview posted on the team’s YouTube page. “I’ve been wanting it for a while and I like that responsibility to take control and get everybody lined up, make the adjustments we need to make.”"

Make no mistake, this will be a big adjustment for Holcomb, who’s largely played outside linebacker over his first three seasons. Now, he’ll be tasked with making pre-snap adjustments and calling out plays to his teammates.

The former North Carolina standout looked comfortable doing it last year, albeit in limited reps, so perhaps he’s just the guy for the job. After all, he admitted in the interview that calling the shots from an off-ball role was clunky, so it seems like he has a nice understanding of what’s expected from the position.

"“I feel like it helps me being able to call at the Mike spot. We tried it initially — I was calling the defense from the outside. It was kind of hard to relay a call to the other side of the defense if I’m playing on the outside. So I think it helps a lot in terms of our communication and getting on the same page.”"

Holcomb isn’t the only one who views himself as the MIKE solution. During the offseason, both Ron Rivera and Martin Mayhew have spoken glowingly about Holcomb and the strides he made in 2021. Mayhew perhaps made the biggest statement, saying Holcomb’s performance last season put the team in a position to “not have a tremendous urgency to go and so something right there.”

Washington could certainly add another LB for depth purposes, but the recent comments made by Rivera, Mayhew and now Holcomb suggests the club is set on moving forward with Holcomb as the starting middle backer.

Is this the right call, Commanders fans?