Can Cole Holcomb fill the Commanders need at Mike linebacker?

Breaking down Cole Holcomb’s game to see if he’s capable of taking on the added responsibilities of the Mike linebacker position.

The biggest question on the defensive side of the ball for the Washington Commanders this offseason was who would play the Mike linebacker spot. Jamin Davis was drafted in the first-round last year and was given a shot but it was quickly apparent that wasn’t his best role. Cole Holcomb took over early in the season and held the job for most of the year, but in the last few weeks of the season Ron Rivera emphasized Holcomb was better playing as an outside linebacker alongside what he called a “true Mike”. NFL journeyman David Mayo played the last few games as the Mike linebacker and Holcomb shifted back outside.

It seemed then that finding a “true Mike” was going to be the top priority for the Commanders after sorting out the quarterback position. However, not long into the offseason, Rivera and the Commanders changed their tune on Holcomb playing the Mike spot. Both Rivera and GM Martin Mayhew spoke publicly about Holcomb having a shot to claim that spot as his own, and Holcomb himself said he wanted to step up and take on that responsibility. 

So is Holcomb a legitimate option for the Commanders at the Mike spot or was he just the best fallback option after no clear free agent or draft prospect emerged? Let’s take a closer look at his game to find out.

In terms of overall talent and ability, Holcomb has established himself as a starting quality linebacker in the NFL. Where he has really stood out, at least in my view, is in coverage. The modern NFL is all about the passing game and that puts a ton of stress on linebackers as they have to be able to turn and run with more athletic tight ends and receivers, while still having the bulk to take on bigger offensive lineman in the run game. Holcomb is listed at 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, so he has plenty of bulk, but despite that he’s athletic enough to drop into various types of coverages and still succeed.

This is an example of Holcomb playing in a zone coverage. The Chiefs run a drive concept, with the inside receiver running a basic cross at about 10 yards while the slot receiver runs a shallow cross underneath it. The idea is to put Holcomb in a bind, either he sinks back to the deeper route and gives up the shallow cross or he steps up to take away the shallow cross and the ball is thrown to the deeper route behind him. But Holcomb plays this excellently. He gains depth to match the inside receiver but also gets his eyes outside to look for any other possible threats from there. He locates the shallow cross and begins to shuffle across inside, but importantly he maintains his depth. 

As Holcomb runs with the shallow cross, the quarterback thinks he can fit the ball behind him to the deeper basic cross. However, because Holcomb maintains his depth as he opens to run with the shallow cross, he can get his eyes on the quarterback and still adjust back to the deeper route. He’s able to sink back just enough and get his hand on the ball to tip it incomplete.

While zone coverage can mean sitting in a zone and picking up receivers that work in a specific zone, it can also mean matching particular patterns that might be a threat beyond that zone. Holcomb has also shown an ability to do this.

On this play, the Raiders run a variation on a spot concept in the red zone. The spot concept typically consists of a corner route, a flat route and then a receiver spotting up underneath. Here though, the Raiders adjust the corner route and turn it into a seam route. Washington uses a zone blitz on this play, meaning they rush five and play a three-deep, three-under zone coverage behind it. Holcomb is responsible for the underneath middle third. However, as the play progresses, he knows that there is a weakness in the seam and with the tight end running up the seam and no threats crossing the middle, he can attach to the seam route. Holcomb shows off some athleticism by making up ground while still keeping his eyes in the backfield to locate the ball. Then just like on the last play, he manages to extend his arm and just tip the ball away from the receiver to break up the pass.

While Holcomb is effective in zone and pattern-matching coverages, he’s also capable of matching up man-to-man too. 

Here on third and eight, the Panthers generate what they would deem as a winning matchup for themselves. The slot receiver from the right side motions across the formation, leaving just the outside receiver and running back Christian McCaffery to that side. The outside receiver clears out vertically, leaving McCaffrey all the space to work with. Holcomb begins the play faking a blitz on the line of scrimmage, but off the snap he drops out into coverage and matches McCaffrey on a choice route. McCaffrey can choose to either break inside, outside or sit down depending on the coverage. 

With Holcomb running outside to make up ground after faking the blitz, McCaffrey attempts to stop his feet with a juke before getting inside. Holcomb is up to the task though and is able to adjust his body and open back up inside to stay with McCaffrey. McCaffrey does manage to pull in the pass despite tight coverage from Holcomb, however Holcomb ultimately wins the rep because he immediately tackles McCaffrey short of the first down marker. 

Holcomb’s ability in coverage is a huge asset for the Commanders, which is possibly why Rivera talked about Holcomb being better as an outside linebacker towards the end of last season. Outside linebackers can have some more challenging coverage matchups that middle linebackers in certain situations and Holcomb has proved he’s capable of meeting that challenge. The Mike spot has more run responsibilities. Holcomb is a capable run defender too. More than capable in fact. He is often very quick to diagnose a play and fit his gap. 

On this play, the Eagles face a short yardage situation and elect to run the ball to try and pick up the first down. They opt for a counter scheme to the left of their formation, with the left side of the line blocking down inside while the right guard pulls to the left side to kick out the edge defender. Holcomb aligns in the middle of the field, slightly adjusted to the left side of the line as the extra blockers are to that side. Off the snap, he quickly spots the right guard pulling and immediately rushes to the left side of the line, knowing what play is coming. He builds up momentum and explodes into the block of the tight end, standing him up as the running back enters the hole. Holcomb is then able to disengage from the tight end and peel off to make the tackle on the running back. 

Diagnosing different types of run schemes is something Holcomb excels at. 

Here’s another example. This time the Chiefs use a trap scheme, with the right guard and tackle faking a block on the defensive tackle before both work up to the second level. The left guard then pulls across to trap the defensive tackle while the other blockers climb up to reach the linebackers. Holcomb again spots the pulling guard off the snap and his immediate reaction is to step towards the right side of the line, anticipating another power or counter scheme to that side. However, once he gets his eyes to that side, he spots the right tackle and guard skipping by the defensive tackle. At that point, he realises its a trap scheme, so he adjusts his path to stay more inside, knowing the run is going to attack more inside. He’s correct as the back makes his cut and Holcomb is in position again to make the play.

While diagnosing run schemes and fitting the run isn’t an issue for Holcomb, the question is how well can he do that while also calling the defense and making adjustments at the line of scrimmage? The Mike linebacker has to effectively quarterback the defense at the line of scrimmage. If the offense makes an adjustment with a motion or shift, the Mike has to react and decide if the original call is still the best option or if he needs to change it. If he has to change it, then he needs to make sure he can communicate a new call to the rest of the defense as quickly as possible to get everyone adjusted before the ball is snapped. There were times last year where this extra responsibility slowed Holcomb’s overall process down just a tick, which can be all the offense needs to have a successful play in certain situations.

On this play, the Eagles are in the red zone and close to the goal line. They look to run the ball up the middle behind their strong offensive line. Before the snap, you can see Holcomb pointing and making a signal to Kam Curl alongside him. He then shifts his head to the left side of the formation, looking for more clues. However, as he does this, the ball is snapped. This causes him to be just a beat or two too slow to recognize the ball is snapped and the play is live. If this was first and 10 from the middle of the field, it probably wouldn’t matter, but down near the goal line it makes all the difference. He’s maybe a step slow off the snap, but that’s all it takes for the offense to get the advantage. The center has an extra step to help the left guard secure his block before having to peel off and pick up Holcomb. That then clears the path for the running back to run right behind the center and into the end zone for a touchdown.

It might appear harsh, but those small details make all the difference in key situations. Now, this doesn’t mean Holcomb is incapable of playing the Mike linebacker spot going forward, it just means there are some questions to be answered. From a talent perspective, he’s clearly capable. The question is can he handle the added responsibility of making calls and adjustments at the line of scrimmage, assuring that everyone is on the same page and in the right spot while also still playing fast when the ball is snapped? 

In fairness to Holcomb, he hasn’t had this much responsibility placed on him before and he was almost forced into it last season after the experiment with Jamin Davis there failed and Jon Bostic went down injured. He will have benefited greatly from the experience as the Mike for most of last season and thanks to Rivera quickly backtracking and opening the door for Holcomb to claim the spot early this offseason, Holcomb has had the entire offseason preparing and practicing as the Mike linebacker. So going into this season, he’ll have now had a year of experience playing the role and then an entire offseason to learn and practice the role. 

The Commanders will certainly hope that will stand Holcomb in good stead leading into the regular season. Being able to fill that need from within the organisation would be a big bonus for Washington. From Holcomb’s perspective, he’s a free agent after this season. If he can nail down that Mike position, then he can make himself infinitely more valuable to this team than just being a decent linebacker. That should earn him a solid payday, either from Washington or someone else next offseason.