It might just be football in shorts, where the tempo is slower, and intensity is lighter. Just don’t tell that to Elandon Roberts.
The veteran linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers likes to play fast and furious. Most importantly, he likes to bring physicality any time he’s on the football field.
For some, that can be annoying, especially when Roberts is being physical during Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp. Not for the Steelers though.
According to Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Roberts really “endears” himself to his teammates due to his physicality and searching it out — even in the offseason.
“He’s a heck of a leader,” Austin told reporters Wednesday of Roberts, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “He’s a football player. …I think what really endears him to our team, and our defense in particular, is he’s a contact player and he is always searching it out. He’s never shy from it.
“And I think that fits what Steeler defense is and why guys kind of gravitate to him.”
If you were to create a Steelers linebacker in a lab, he’d have the demeanor and play style of Roberts, without a doubt. He’s an old-school, downhill thumper who plays with real violence and aims to set the tone snap to snap.
After signing a two-year deal with the Steelers last offseason in free agency, Roberts went on to lead them in tackles with 101 on the season. He played just over 50% of the snaps, sharing time early in the season with Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander before injuries hit the position hard.
Roberts was that early-down linebacker when Holcomb and Alexander were healthy, coming off the field in passing situations. Against the run, attacking downhill, Roberts was a force and really brought a physical presence. He was an effective blitzer, too.
When the Steelers needed him the most, he stepped up in a major way, taking ownership of the inside linebackers room and elevating his play in big way.
Now, entering Year 2 with the Steelers, Roberts is in that leadership role at inside linebacker, a position that has been strengthened this offseason with the additions of Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson in free agency and via the 2024 NFL Draft.
Roberts is setting the tone physically, and guys are gravitating toward that and falling in line with him. That should do wonders for the Steelers’ defense.
