The Steelers are adding a former Pro Bowl player to their roster. Pittsburgh has agreed to a one-year deal with veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander. Alexander had met with the Steelers back in May.
Alexander, 28, was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent his first four seasons in Tampa Bay and was a Pro Bowler in 2017 after recording a league-high 108 solo tackles. In 2019, Alexander helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl during his only full season in San Francisco. He was traded to the Saints midway through the 2021 season before spending the entire 2022 season with the Jets. In New York, Alexander registered 69 tackles in 12 starts while playing in each of New York’s 17 games.
While he’s proven to be a solid player, injuries have prevented Alexander from further success. He played in just 14 total games during the 2018-19 season while dealing with knee and chest injuries. A torn Achilles prematurely ended his 2021 season after 12 games.
The Steelers will have a re-vamped inside linebacker corps in 2023. The team parted ways with Robert Spillane, Devin Bush and Myles Jack this offseason. They replaced those players with free agents Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Tanner Muse. Holcomb and Roberts are currently slated to be the team’s starting inside linebackers with Muse and Mark Robinson serving as backups.
If he joins the Steelers, Alexander would be the second member of the 2022 Jets to sign with the Steelers this offseason. Pittsburgh signed former New York guard Nate Herbig in free agency. The Steelers then acquired his brother, former Wisconsin outside linebacker Nick Herbig, in the fourth round of April’s draft.
