Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan spoke Monday about the decision to let linebacker Elandon Roberts go. ESPN NFL reporter Brooke Pryor reported on Khan’s comments, which left open the possibility that Roberts could return to Pittsburgh at some point.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Not closing the door on that by any means. I have a lot of respect for E-Rob. We have some history with him, and he’s done a good job, and love the player and love the person, certainly not closing the door,” Khan said, according to Pryor.
The Steelers released Roberts on Sunday as they finalized their 53-man roster, only three weeks after bringing him back on a one-year deal during training camp. The timing caught plenty of fans off guard, particularly after the way Roberts had performed in the preseason.
Roberts, 32, played 73 snaps over Pittsburgh’s final two preseason games and finished with 10 tackles. He also had a few missed tackles in the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills, but the performance did not appear to point toward him being on the wrong side of the roster bubble.
Roberts had already put together a solid body of work before returning to Pittsburgh. In his first 33 games with the Steelers from 2023 through 2024, he recorded 147 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He spent the 2025 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, starting 16 of 17 games and finishing with 90 tackles and six tackles for loss. PFF graded him at 77.3 as a run defender that year.
The reaction came quickly once the Steelers made the move. Former Steelers defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko, who was with Pittsburgh in 2023, publicly questioned the decision on X.
“This hasn’t held up well with the locker room. Considering the logistics of that LB room. I think it’s very disrespectful that a guy with his resume was brought in as a camp body with no intentions to bring him back. Mind-boggling decision when you play Bijan Week 1,” Fehoko wrote.
Fehoko had already been watching Roberts’ usage closely before the cuts. He pointed out that Roberts was still on the field late in Pittsburgh’s preseason finale against Buffalo, playing alongside several players who were not expected to make the team’s practice squad. In hindsight, Fehoko viewed that usage as an early warning sign of what was coming.
Steelers legend James Harrison, a two-time Super Bowl champion and former Defensive Player of the Year, backed up Fehoko’s frustration on social media. Harrison and Roberts were teammates on the New England Patriots in 2017.
“I hope we don’t regret this cause I didn’t see this coming in a million years. You telling me you brought this man in as a camp body??? Cause that’s damn sure not what it sounded like was happening when he got here. We gon find out quick if this was a good decision or not in Week 1 vs Bijan, though,” Harrison said.
Both Fehoko and Harrison zeroed in on the same worry heading into the opener. Pittsburgh’s first game is against the Atlanta Falcons, with running back Bijan Robinson leading an Atlanta ground game that will immediately put the Steelers’ defense to the test.
Where Roberts’ Release Leaves Pittsburgh’s Linebacker Room
The Steelers went with Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson at inside linebacker, with Cole Holcomb and rookie Carson Bruener providing depth behind them. Malik Harrison, who was part of the group in 2025, was also let go during the roster cuts.
Roberts is listed at 5-foot-11 and 235 pounds and brings a physical, downhill style to the position. Queen and Wilson offer more speed when covering ground, which is part of why some questioned Pittsburgh’s decision to move on from Roberts before facing Atlanta’s rushing attack.
Roberts’ history with the organization runs beyond just last season’s numbers. During 2023, with Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander both sidelined by injury, Roberts held the linebacker room together and even played through a painful pectoral injury in December to help Pittsburgh reach the playoffs.
His return to the Steelers this summer, following a year with Las Vegas under current Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, clearly meant something to him personally, based on comments he made shortly after re-signing.
“I was in the dorm room last night, and I was just kinda looking up at the walls. I was enjoying it. Sometimes, being in certain places, I was here for two years, so I was like, ‘Oh, man, we gotta be in the dorms.’ When I got back, I was like, ‘Yeah, (this is nice).'”
Mike McCarthy, who replaced Mike Tomlin’s 19-year run in January, will now be watched closely after the decision to move on from Roberts. Khan has left the door open for a return, but for now, Roberts is gone as Pittsburgh gets set to face Atlanta in Week 1.