A linebacker who is itching to hit. Not gonna lie, that’s refreshing to hear. From a Pro Day parking lot to Saint Vincent College, Mike Tomlin has had his eye on LB Elandon Roberts ever since he worked out at his Houston Pro Day in 2016, where Roberts impressed with an athletic profile. After, Tomlin, Roberts, and the Roberts’ family spoke for an hour at the facility’s parking lot, getting to know each other a little better. Pittsburgh would not draft him, the New England Patriots took him in the sixth round instead, but he made his way to the Steelers this free agency, signing a two-year deal with the team.
Overhauling their room, it’s clear the front office wanted a different vibe at the position. Guys who wanted to be physical. Loved to hit. Would come downhill against the run. While most veterans are looking to take it easy in camp, focusing on staying healthy, Roberts isn’t in that camp. He was excited to throw his weight around.
Speaking with The Trib’s Tim Benz in an interview posted earlier in the week, Roberts said he didn’t mind getting his jersey dirty.
“I just feel like it’s a part of the game,” Roberts told Benz. “So why not? I’m not trying to be that guy that’s, ‘ah, man, we don’t need that.’ If you don’t practice something and then you get in the first preseason game and miss five tackles in a row, then you’re like, ‘dang, maybe I should’ve.'”
Pittsburgh’s training camps are notorious for being among the most physical in football. Many teams don’t tackle at all in camp, opting to only have “thud” tackling where no one goes to the ground. But an old-school mind like Tomlin believes, like Roberts, if it isn’t practiced, it won’t translate to the game. Pittsburgh hits every day they’re in pads with a full-contact “team run” period that takes place after seven shots.
Roberts and the inside linebacker group met the moment this summer. Roberts routinely flung his body into the pile and stuffed the run. He dominated in backs on ‘backers, putting RB John Lovett flat on his back, who never practiced again before being cut two weeks later. That intensity carried over to the preseason. After playing just two snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he logged 12 of them against the Bills and impressed. Our Jonathan Heitritter broke down his tape.
Hard-hitting and sound run defense is why Roberts is entering his eighth year in the NFL, a milestone most players never reach. He takes a professional approach, doing whatever it takes to him himself and the team better.
“I look at it as, it is a component of football and I want to be ready on every aspect of it. So whatever that aspect is, I’m gonna be ready.”
Roberts will be part of a three-man rotation with Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb with all three seeing snaps this season. Roberts is far more likely to play on early and run downs than passing situations and if kept in that role, should have a productive season.
