When thinking about the Washington Redskins defense, it is obviously the defensive line that comes to mind first. After that, you’d probably rank the linebacking core as second-best, with players like Thomas Davis, and potentially Reuben Foster headlining that group. However, few people outside of Washington know that the real guy to keep your eye on going forward is Cole Holcomb, a second-year player who had a breakout rookie season and is slotted for more triumphs going forward.
A true secret-weapon, according to Bleacher Report:
Washington Redskins linebacker Cole Holcomb is another young player who was thrown into the fire in 2019. Forced into a full-time role by injuries, Holcomb tallied 105 tackles as a rookie. Only safety Landon Collins had more stops on the team, and Holcomb’s 74 solo tackles led all rookies’ tallies.
“He played out in space a little bit and came back into the box and played linebacker,” Rivera said. “Those are the kind of guys that you want, because you want that position flexibility.”
Holcomb may have struggled in coverage, but his range was one of the more appealing things about his game coming out of college. Provided that experience brings with it improvement, Holcomb has a good chance to emerge from a murky position group as a three-down starter for what could be a sneaky good defense.
If Holcomb can continue this upward trend and make a name for himself in the Redskins defense, which is expected to be among the best in the league, there is no chance he remains a secret for long.
