Pittsburgh Steelers Exit Meeting: ILB Elandon Roberts
Experience: 9 Years (2 with Steelers)
Was Elandon Roberts the Steelers’ other starting inside linebacker in 2024 or was rookie Payton Wilson? I had a bit of a tough time determining that, especially since Wilson played a few more snaps. Normally I let the snap count be the tiebreaker, but Roberts was the starter of record.
Officially, Roberts started 14 out of the Steelers’ 17 regular-games last year, playing 478 snaps. As mentioned, Payton Wilson played a handful more snaps. But there was no linear progression of playing time for the rookie, as Roberts still played a lot. He actually played nearly two-thirds of the Steelers’ snaps in their postseason loss.
In fact, Roberts had a season-high 14 tackles in that game. That is just one off his career high, having recorded 15 against the Browns in 2023. He has six career games with 10-plus tackles, and three have been with the Steelers.
Drafted by the New England Patriots in 2016, Elandon Roberts played out his rookie contract there. After three years in Miami, he signed with the Steelers in 2023. Due to injuries, he played a much larger role that season, recording over 100 tackles. This past season, he only finished with 46 tackles, on only about 100 fewer snaps.
Why did Roberts’ tackle total plummet even if his playing time didn’t decline as much? Well, it helps that the Steelers had players like Patrick Queen and a healthy Cameron Heyward this time. Roberts was playing a lot of cleanup in 2023.
The problem is, the Steelers often looked like they were still in need of some cleanup last season. While Roberts is a tone setter, he is not a player they are willing to play in all situations. Primarily, they view him as a run plugger, but they place a lot of value on that.
And they can show that this offseason, since Elandon Roberts is an unrestricted free agent again. He will turn 31 in April, but it’s not like his game is predicated upon pure speed. The Steelers would be wise to invest in him again, especially since the price tag for a two-down linebacker shouldn’t break the bank.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at home, the inevitable result of another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, with no clear end in sight. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
