Player: ILB Elandon Roberts
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: Elandon Robert’s starting job arguably lost some of its security when the Steelers drafted Payton Wilson. The third-year inside linebacker was one of the best defenders in college football a year ago, and now he’s here. While Wilson may not start immediately, he could still eat into Roberts’ playing time. Make no mistake, Roberts isn’t going anywhere, but Wilson’s presence is something of a threat.
Elandon Roberts seemed to be running the risk of falling into an afterthought early last season. The Steelers had Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander getting better every week at inside linebacker. Roberts saw a significantly reduced role, but that all changed after Holcomb and Alexander went down.
Roberts stepped up to the plate and showed that he could hold down the fort. The problem for the 2023 season was the fact that the Steelers had nobody else left. They eventually turned to guys off the street to fill in, and that didn’t work.
We don’t know if either Holcomb or Alexander will ever play a snap for the Steelers again. Alexander isn’t even signed right now, and Holcomb is still rehabbing a major injury to his knee. But that brings Roberts no closer to assurances.
After adding three major contributing inside linebackers via free agency last year, the Steelers went back to the well, and they did so with a deeper bucket, landing Patrick Queen as their prized free agent. Signed to the largest contract for an outside free agent in team history, he’s not relinquishing playing time to anybody.
Queen will be the Steelers’ every-down linebacker, but where does Payton Wilson fit? Depending on how quickly he rises, that could be bad news for Elandon Roberts. Wilson is untested at the NFL level, but he and Queen have similarly well-rounded games. They are two players you don’t have to take off the field. But if the Steelers don’t do so, then when is Roberts going to play, and how much?
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
