When the Pittsburgh Steelers made the sound move early in free agency to sign veteran linebacker Elandon Roberts to a two-year deal, the franchise was aiming to not only bring in another experienced presence at the inside linebacker room, but to add a physical presence overall.
So far, Roberts has been exactly that for the Black and Gold.
There might be more of that coming on Thursday Night Football in Week Nine against the Tennessee Titans at Acrisure Stadium.
With star running back Derrick Henry coming to town, and the Titans a power rushing team that prides itself on physicality, the matchup on Amazon is shaping up to be the exact type of game that Roberts was brought in for, at least according to Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Austin hinted that the Steelers might use Roberts a lot more on Thursday night due to the nature of the matchup.
“Yeah, I think any time we play big people teams and running teams, you see E on the field a lot more than when we’re playing spread teams. It’s his type of game. He’s a thumper. He loves it,” Austin said, according to the transcript provided by the team. “It’s good for us. I love the energy that he brings. You may see a lot of E out there this week.”
Though he has seemingly been passed up on the depth chart by linebacker Kwon Alexander, Roberts remains a very valuable piece to the Steelers’ defense.
In poor conditions Sunday against the Jaguars at Acrisure Stadium, Roberts had a great game. He recorded 1.5 sacks and five tackles, playing downhill with force and helping put a clamp on the Jaguars’ run game overall, specifically running back Travis Etienne.
While conditions might be better on Thursday night on the North Shore, Roberts will be needed to help combat Tennessee’s powerful downhill rushing attack led by Henry, a future Hall of Famer.
On the season, Roberts has played 194 defensive snaps and has graded out at a 70.2 overall from Pro Football Focus. That includes a 70.5 grade as a run defender and a 71.3 grade as a pass rusher. In seven games, Roberts has 39 tackles, 1.5 sacks and six total pressures, along with four tackles for loss.
He’s been a downhill thumper for the Steelers, and they’re going to need that and more on Thursday night as they look to keep Henry and the Titans in check — again.
