There’s been a lot of roster turnover for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. The inside linebacker position is one of a handful of position groups that will look quite different from 2022, and it is the changed group of all. Between the signings of Kwon Alexander, Cole Holcomb, and Elandon Roberts, the majority of snaps will be taken by guys new to the roster.
A lot of the focus has been on the Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb signings, and for fair reasons. Alexander is the most decorated guy in the room, having made a Pro Bowl and even leading the league in tackles way back in 2016. Holcomb also projects to be an every-down guy, as he has a skill set that should allow him to play in any situation.
However, I would argue that Elandon Roberts is getting overlooked as a potential impact player for this defense, especially with the current structure of the positional unit.
Out of all off-ball linebackers in the NFL, Elandon Roberts posted the highest pass-rushing grade at 89.2. It was only over 29 pass-rushing snaps, but Roberts did manage to tally 4.5 sacks in that limited sample size. With the amount of pass-rush talent that the Steelers have, it’s going to be impossible for the offense to focus on every single threat. This should allow a guy like Roberts to almost slide under the radar, and render him much more effective. With guys like T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith coming from the outside, how can teams focus on Roberts?
Another big plus for Roberts is actually the Alexander signing. The two should have a lot of synergy, not being on the field together, but subbing in for each other. Alexander has dealt with a lot of injury problems over his career and is older. He hasn’t seen 700 snaps since the 2017 season. Roberts has traditionally been only a two-down linebacker and hasn’t seen over 700 snaps in a season ever. Both guys have specific strengths, and both have shown the ability to be effective in small doses. By almost platooning the two, as teams do in baseball, they hopefully can get maximum value out of each guy.
Elandon Roberts wasn’t the most exciting signing of the offseason. But he’s a two-time Super Bowl champ, and he’s been quietly productive for the last handful of years in the league. As long as the Steelers don’t expect him to do too much, which it doesn’t seem like they will, he should provide a lot of value for them in 2023.
