Steelers sign veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander

LATROBE, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Steelers signed inside linebacker Kwon Alexanderto a one-year contract, the team announced Sunday.

Alexander, who turns 29 next week, visited the Steelers in May, but he remained a free agent as teams reported to training camp this week.

He spent the 2022 season with the New York Jets, starting 12 games. He had 69 tackles, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a half sack. A fourth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015, Alexander has 11 career forced fumbles, eight interceptions and 12.5 sacks and one interception.

Named to the Pro Bowl in 2017, Alexander suffered serious injuries in recent seasons, including a torn pectoral in November 2019 that ended his season early with theSan Francisco 49ers. A year later, Alexander tore an Achilles playing for the New Orleans Saints, but improbably, he was back on the field eight months later to play Week 1 of the 2021 season.

In signing with the Steelers, Alexander joins a position group that was almost completely revamped in the offseason after the Steelers signed Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts in free agency. The only remaining inside linebacker from a year ago is second year player Mark Robinson.