Could Steelers trade potential cap casualty instead of just cutting him?

When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Washington Commanders linebacker Cole Holcomb to the roster last March, the intention was that the former North Carolina product would play a vital role in the starting lineup.

Holcomb aided the Steelers to their 5-3 start as he was on his way to a career-best year through the initial eight games of the season. He compiled 54 tackles, four tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, two quarterback hits, and two passes defended. Holcomb was proving to be the disruptor the Steelers sought when they signed Holcomb to a three-year, $18 million deal last offseason.

But Holcomb's season came to an abrupt halt when he suffered a devastating knee injury in a Week 9 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Holcomb was initially believed to be sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, but Pittsburgh has been vague about the exact nature and severity of the injury. Steelers general manager Omar Khan's offseason moves reflect concern about Holcomb's availability.

The Steelers signed former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen to the richest free-agent contract in franchise history. Then, Pittsburgh drafted North Carolina State's Payton Wilson, who's already positioned to play a significant role in his rookie campaign.

When — or perhaps if — Holcomb returns, there may not be a spot left for him with the Steelers.

Steelers could move on from Cole Holcomb depending on injury

Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport suggested that Holcomb could be a potential roster cut as the Steelers trim down to their final 53-man roster before the regular season. Holcomb likely carries enough value to warrant a trade rather than a release, even if it is for a late-round pick. He has been a tackling machine, notching 100-plus tackles in each of his seasons that he's avoided injury.

But whether the Steelers want to release Holcomb or trade him, his injury complicates both options. If Holcomb remains sidelined with his injury, Holcomb will receive little trade interest and the Steelers may not be able to cut Holcomb. There are protections in place to prevent teams from releasing or trading away injured players in order to offer financial security for these athletes.

An injured player cannot be released until he's cleared medically in certain situations. If Pittsburgh wanted to release Holcomb, they would have to pay an injury settlement. The settlement is agreed upon by both parties and the compensation reflects thee amount of time in which the injury would keep the player sidelined.

A typical structure pays the player a base salary based on an estimated projection of the injury duration. For example, if Pittsburgh and Holcomb agreed that his injury would keep him out of the game for 10 weeks, the Steelers would pay 10/18 of his base salary. The injury settlement would count against the team's salary cap this season, so it wouldn't make much sense to cut Holcomb.

When Holcomb was first injured, it was believed that he underwent surgery for a torn ACL, which can take between eight to 12 months to fully heal. While the Steelers haven't released any official updates on Holcomb's knee injury, it seems to be more severe than originally thought. In May, ESPN's Brooke Pryor said that drafting Wilson was likely insurance against Holcomb's indefinite injury timeline.

"My understanding is it's not just a simple ACL tear and they're being very vague on what the specific injury is," Pryor said, h/t SI.com. "I think this is in some ways insurance for the Cole Holcomb signing and gives them a starting-caliber inside linebacker to play when the season gets started, because Holcomb's recovery timeline isn't quite clear."

For now, Pittsburgh may just have to hope Holcomb can return to the field as soon as possible.