It seems unlikely that the Pittsburgh Steelers will have ILB Elandon Roberts available to them in two days’ time after exiting Sunday’s game with a groin injury. Having become the every-down signal-caller of the defense following injuries to Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander, the defense is now in a rather precarious position without him.
And especially on a short week, it will be interesting to see how the Steelers approach it. While they have Mykal Walker, who has been starting for a few weeks, and Mark Robinson, in his second year with the team, they also have two veterans recently added behind them—for now.
Head coach Mike Tomlin hinted at larger roles for Myles Jack and Blake Martinez, a largely unavoidable reality given the attrition occurring at the position, but Jack may very well make the most sense—he literally ran the defense just last year.
Signed to a two-year, $16 million contract as a free agent in 2022, Jack was a cap casualty in March, the Steelers preferring not to pay him $8 million. After a brief stint elsewhere, he elected to retire in August, pursuing interests in flying and sports ownership in the interim, but is now back on the gridiron.
The old adage is that if you’re thinking about retiring, then you already are. It’s not really one that I’ve ever bought, at least as a blanket generalization. Given that Martinez is another veteran linebacker who recently returned from retirement, Tomlin doesn’t seem to either.
Especially in Jack’s case. He has no question at all about him. “Not at all. If you know Myles Jack, you know he’s got a passion for football”, he told reporters yesterday, via the team’s website. “Those other things I’m sure he’s passionate about, but he’s got a legitimate passion for football that’s undeniable”.
A 2016 second-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he spent his entire career there before being released in 2022, quickly signing and finding a new home in Pittsburgh. Brought in as a full-time starter, he played effectively before injuries began to drag down his play and availability.
He still managed to record 104 tackles last season with three passes defensed, one of which saved a touchdown, but he was never quite right in the second half of the year. He missed multiple games due to injury and his workload accordingly was reduced when available.
Now his bigger issue is getting into football shape. At the moment, he remains on the practice squad, but that could change in the near future. The Steelers can elevate him from the practice squad three times before being required to sign him to the 53-man roster to participate.
I struggle to envision a scenario at this point in which he does not get called up at least to dress on Thursday night against the New England Patriots. He probably understands the defense better than any other linebacker in that room right now. It’s just a matter of how much of a workload he can handle.
