The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t about to drag out Sunday’s 53-man roster deadline. Front-office cuts began Friday with 11 players released, picked up steam Saturday with two more, and wrapped up on Sunday. But amidst that final wave came a move that stunned fans and caught franchise legend James Harrison completely off guard: the release of veteran inside linebacker Elandon Roberts.

“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??? James Harrison posted on X. “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, who himself is a 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a Two-Time Super Bowl champion, knows a thing or two about the fundamentals of the secondary. The Steelers face the Falcons in Week 1, and Atlanta’s biggest weapon on the ground is Bijan Robinson. Last year, Robinson led the NFL with a franchise-record 2,298 yards from scrimmage, finishing with 1,478 rushing yards and 820 receiving yards. Roberts was the only useful weapon the Steelers had to stop a threat like Robinson.

Last year, while with the Las Vegas Raiders, Roberts earned a 76.7 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF), ranking 21st out of 88 qualified linebackers in the NFL. Even when he signed with Pittsburgh on August 13 on a one-year deal, Roberts looked pretty good in the two preseason games he actually played in.

He logged 43 snaps and played deep into the game. In all, Roberts played 81 total snaps for the Steelers in preseason, and 71 of them were on defense. In the Week 2 showcase against the Jets, Roberts won the Steelers Digest Player of the Week by leading the team with 5 tackles, including 1 for loss.

That relentless drive on the field is nothing new for the veteran linebacker. Roberts got picked by the New England Patriots in 2016, in the sixth round. That’s pretty late in the draft. But he didn’t let that stop him. He quickly earned a real spot on New England’s defense and even won two Super Bowls with the team in 2016 and 2018.

After the 2019 season, Roberts suited up for the Miami Dolphins. He eventually landed in Pittsburgh for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In his first year with the team, Roberts made an impact playing in a defense that had multiple injuries. He recorded 68 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss with the Steelers that year, and started in 15 games. His reps were reduced in 2024, but Roberts played in all 17 games.

Then, somewhat surprisingly, the Steelers let him walk after 2024, opting to get younger at inside linebacker by bringing in Malik Harrison instead. That gamble hasn’t paid off: He has also been released by the team after barely getting off the bench in the preseason.

Now, as a vested veteran, he skips waivers entirely and becomes a free agent right away. There’s a real chance he ends up back on Pittsburgh’s practice squad under new head coach Mike McCarthy.

But the way this release played out early suggests there’s no quiet handshake deal to bring him right back. And James Harrison seemed to suggest that on X.

“Don’t count on it!” Harrison posted on X. “UNLESS we get run on by Atlanta and then it would probably be a few weeks after before something would be done.”

Here’s the thing, though. After ignoring inside linebacker all offseason coming off a shaky 2025, keeping Roberts around made a lot of sense on paper. Roberts spent last year with the Raiders, working under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who is now with the Steelers.

He had a good season with the Raiders, racking up 90 tackles and one pass breakup in 17 games (16 as a starter). It is surprising that, despite all this familiarity and experience, Pittsburgh parted ways with Roberts.

Losing a premier run-stopper always stings, but Pittsburgh is far from thin inside. With Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, and Cole Holcomb anchoring the 53-man roster, the Steelers still boast a formidable unit. Besides, for as elite as Roberts is against the ground game, his limitations in space-evidenced by a few missed tackles against the Bills-made him a liability in coverage.

Roberts did not even last a complete month since he signed with the Steelers. However, in the limited time he spent with the team, it was a worthwhile experience.”

“I was in the dorm room last night and I was just kinda looking up at the walls,” Roberts told the media earlier this month, as the team practiced in St. Vincent College. “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).'”

While James Harrison sees no real possibility of Roberts wearing the Black and Gold again, the Steelers, on the other hand, could easily have an informal agreement to re-sign him once initial 53-man roster moves-like placing players on Injured Reserve-Clear the necessary space. Alternatively, they could stash him on the practice squad and use game-day elevations until a permanent roster spot opens up. For fans hoping Roberts stays at Pittsburgh, those procedural backdoors offer a genuine silver lining.