Elandon Roberts came to the Pittsburgh Steelers with two Super Bowl rings from his days in New England and a reputation as a linebacker who filled whatever role he was given. The Steelers were supposed to be the next place that role was valued. Instead, he was released by Pittsburgh as part of final roster cuts in August.
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Now, after returning to their practice squad earlier this week, Roberts is addressing how he feels about the franchise that cut him loose, and where things stand between them.
“It’s real comfortable still,” Roberts said (via SI). “Know the playbook still, know the expectation… I mean, I have a great relationship with everybody upstairs. Coaches, everybody, so it’s no hard feelings. If I had hard feelings, I wouldn’t have come back because then that’s a distraction to the team, and I’m here to do whatever it takes for the team to win and whatnot, so now I’m all good.”
That cut surprised a lot of people. Roberts was signed in the middle of the preseason in August and played well against the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills to close out exhibition play. Plenty of observers figured he had a roster spot locked up. Instead, he became one of the bigger surprise cuts around the league and went unsigned through the first five weeks of the season.
Steelers beat writer Nick Farabaugh shared Roberts’ comments on X, and they explain a good deal.
“Elandon Roberts said while he was away from the Steelers, he had a personal issue that would have caused him to miss time with the team, anyways. It’s now cleared up. He said he had interest from multiple teams, but chose to return to the Steelers again. He feels comfortable with the players and coaching staff around him,” Farabaugh shared.
So Roberts had options and picked Pittsburgh anyway. Some familiarity probably helped. He is reunited with Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, whom he spent a season with on the Las Vegas Raiders. Roberts also spent 2023 and 2024 with the Steelers and left a strong impression on the fanbase in that short window.
Now his focus is catching up. Roberts recently appeared on an episode of Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, where the two talked about his return, and he was upfront about the learning curve.
“So, me personally right now, I’m just learning the playbook because [there are] some nuances of PG’s defense that have changed and I’m just trying to adapt… I’m trying to jump on a moving train…” Roberts said.
He is not waiting around to be handed that knowledge, either. Roberts told Heyward he asked Mike McCarthy after practice whether he could join the rookies for the extra session.
“Today I asked [Mike McCarthy], ‘Could I go with the rookies at the after-practice thing?” Roberts stated. “I’m learning the defense… I’m trying to get in with you. Like, I’d rather look crazy than look crazy on the field. So I was like, ‘Hey, you think I could steal some reps from these rookies and get in?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘Bet.'”
That hunger for reps could pay off soon. Roberts may not have a role in Week 6, but the following week against the New Orleans Saints looks like a realistic target for his first real action since coming back.
Why did the Steelers want Elandon Roberts?
Roberts’ return is not just a feel-good story. It fills a clear need. Through five games, the Steelers have 53 missed tackles, which works out to 10.6 per game. Adding a proven run stuffer to that mix makes sense.
Former Steelers Trai Essex and Charlie Batch discussed it on “The Snap Count” podcast after Sunday’s win. Batch did not hold back.
“This game here, eight missed tackles, another 108 yards after contact,” Batch said. “So when that happens and brings your total to 416 yards off of missed tackles, you have to make a move. This is why Elandon Roberts is here, and he should have never been left off this team. It is good to see E-Rob back and bring that consistency back within the inside linebacker group.”
Former Steeler Vince Williams sees the move as a message to the inside linebackers already on the roster.
“Anytime they bring somebody in without there being an injury, it’s a direct shot at the position group and the position coach,” Williams said Wednesday on the Steelers Blitz podcast. “They’re putting you on notice, and they’re saying that what you’ve been doing is not good enough and we’re gonna bring somebody in to incentivize you, especially when that person specializes in the things that you struggle with.”
The numbers back that up. Josh Carney of Steelers Depot has charged Patrick Queen with six missed tackles and Payton Wilson with eight, which puts both around a 15 percent missed tackle rate. Both have also struggled against the run for much of the season.
Roberts can help in both areas. Run defense is his biggest strength, and he has been a sure tackler throughout his career.
A sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2016, he helped them win two Super Bowls and has 694 tackles, 60 tackles for loss, and five forced fumbles.
“This man just wants win, so can’t have enough people like that,” said Mike McCarthy earlier this week explaining his decision to bring back Elandon Roberts. What better way to conclude the story of his return than this?