Already dealing with a significant injury at the inside linebacker position after losing Cole Holcomb for the season in Week Nine, the Pittsburgh Steelers were dealt a significant blow again on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers at the inside linebacker position.
Veteran Kwon Alexander went down early with a leg injury that kept him out of the rest of the game at Acrisure Stadium. Post-game, bad news filtered in as head coach Mike Tomlin called it a significant lower body injury, and then ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Alexander had suffered a torn Achilles, ending his season.
The Steelers’ injury luck at inside linebacker remains puzzling, but they can feel good about the veteran presence that they still have at the position, that being Elandon Roberts.
With Alexander out Sunday, Roberts stepped up in a major way into an every-down role, performing well for the most part, earning some praise from teammate T.J. Watt after a hard-fought 23-19 win in Week 10.
“He’s got a steady voice inside. He is never too high, never too low; very confident player,” Watt said following the win of Roberts, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “He’s gonna get us lined up exactly how we need to, and that’s all we really need as a defense. We just need to be on the same page.
“And he’s a guy that’s been able to do that since he’s been here. True professional, and he’s making some good plays for us as well.”
With Alexander wearing the green dot with Holcomb out, Roberts had to take on communication responsibilities midway through the first quarter after Alexander’s injury.
For many players, that can be a difficult task in-game, but Roberts handled it quite well, according to Watt. That helped the Steelers get lined up and ready to roll before every snap, allowing them to make plays down the stretch late in the game to pick up the hard-fought win.
That’s a testament to Roberts’ preparation and overall football smarts, knowing the roles of everyone on the defense and making sure everyone is lined up and understands their assignments.
“Yeah, everybody in the building prepares like they’re a starter, and he’s no different,” Watt said of Roberts, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “He’s always been really good at communicating. Been in every single meeting, every additional meeting and he’s done a great job, and I mean even on top of the special teams that he’s been playing, too.
“So he’s had a full plate. And to be able to step up in a game like this when you didn’t know if your number was gonna be called, it just shows how much he’s been preparing this whole time for that moment.”
That is awesome to hear from Watt. Truly.
Roberts was signed as a hearts-and-smarts guy in free agency as part of the trio that was expected to plug holes at inside linebacker and help the Steelers get back to a certain standard at the position.
There have been some ups and downs from the inside linebacker group on the year, but Roberts had one of his best games of the season Sunday, taking on a larger role due to injuries.
He recorded eight tackles and a tackle for loss, had one pass breakup and made a great play on a crossing route in the red zone. Breaking off coverage on one route, he came back and laid a hit on Green Bay rookie tight end Luke Musgrave to force an incompletion.
Roberts had some issues in coverage at times, especially late, but that’s not exactly his calling card. Still, he stepped up when the Steelers needed him most and earned significant praise from Watt, which is huge within the room.
