The Steelers may value Elandon Roberts, but the path back to the active roster is getting narrower by the week.
Pittsburgh released the inside linebacker before the regular season, a move that caught plenty of people off guard after Roberts had spent two years as a starter with the team. For a while, he looked like a safe bet to make the 53-man roster. Instead, the Steelers cut ties before Week 1.
That separation didn’t last long. After the Week 5 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh brought Roberts back and stashed him on the practice squad.
At the time, it was fair to wonder whether his return would lead to changes at inside linebacker. Instead, Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson have only looked better with Roberts around.
His impact hasn’t come through game action. It’s come through presence, experience and the kind of detail work that can sharpen a room. Roberts has helped steady Queen and Wilson, much like Brock Hoffman has helped settle rookie Max Iheanachor.
That influence showed up in a big way in Week 7, when Wilson turned in arguably his best game in a Steelers uniform and Queen delivered a standout performance of his own. Roberts said on the Deebo & Joe podcast that his film work helped shape what the linebackers were seeing, especially against New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough.
“One time, he (Shough) checked, and he didn’t even look up,” Roberts explained. “The coach talked to him the whole time. So, after 15 seconds, he’s gotta make the checks himself.”
The Steelers leaned into that. They disguised coverage until there were fewer than 15 seconds left on the play clock, and that approach clearly bothered Shough enough to affect both the run game and the passing game.
Roberts didn’t make a tackle, but his fingerprints were all over one of the defense’s best stretches of the season.
And the production from Queen and Wilson was impossible to ignore. Queen led the team with 10 tackles, including seven solo stops, while adding 1.0 sacks, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit and a pass defended. Wilson added six tackles, a pass defended and an interception.
That pick was the kind of play that jumps off the screen. Wilson tracked the throw, stayed disciplined in coverage and then still had to finish the play with a strong athletic effort to secure the ball.
When an inside linebacker duo is making tackles, creating turnovers and setting the tone like that, the Steelers are going to keep riding it. That reality is making it harder to see a role for Roberts on the active roster, even if the organization clearly appreciates what he brings.
The fan base likes him, the team values him and the room seems better with him in it. But unless something changes, Roberts’ chances of getting back into a game for Pittsburgh keep slipping.
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