Steelers Allowing Important Defender To Leave In Free Agency Is Looking Like A Huge Mistake

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not shy away from completely revamping the roster throughout the 2025 offseason. Both sides of the ball have seen significant change, which has left some wondering if the entire collective can build enough rapport before the meaningful games begin come September. The franchise will rely on the defense once again, while hoping that the offense can see improved results with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers under center. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered as the team works its way through training camp in Latrobe.

One defensive unit that will be interesting to watch is the inside linebackers. Patrick Queen is going to look to improve after one year in the black and gold, and he will be accompanied by Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison. The most intriguing player of the bunch is probably Holcomb, as the veteran is expected to return after missing the entirety of the 2024 campaign following a devastating 2023 knee injury.

Some could argue that bringing Holcomb back was a mistake, given that he may be extremely rusty once the regular season begins. A strong trio of Queen, Wilson and former Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts may have made more sense. Instead, Roberts signed a deal in free agency with the Las Vegas Raiders. The defender's new head coach, Pete Carroll, is noticing that Roberts is an incredible asset, which may lead to the Steelers regretting letting him leave.

"I'm really impressed with what Elandon Roberts has brought us in terms of leadership and guidance and mentality and all of that, and so, we're kind of feeding off of him a little bit," Carroll said. "I'm anxious to see how that spreads with Devin White and Germaine [Pratt] coming in and those guys at the linebacker spot. It's a pretty exciting group."

Holcomb is a big question mark for Pittsburgh's defense, mainly because he hasn't played competitively in so long. It was largely believed that he would be cut at some point, but it appears as if the organization believes he can still play at a high level. 

If an injury were to occur to either Queen or Wilson, the preferable number three option wouldn't be someone who hasn't played in nearly 20 months. Carroll's praise of Roberts highlights that the linebacker would have been a big-time asset once again in Pittsburgh during the 2025 season.

Time will tell if allowing Roberts to leave in free agency was a mistake, but he is already turning heads in Las Vegas. Carroll is a veteran coach who knows when talent is right in front of him. It's clear that he is currently seeing that with Roberts. One of the craziest parts of the situation is that Roberts signed just a one-year deal valued at roughly $3 million. He was incredibly affordable, but the Steelers passed on bringing him back anyway.

Holcomb's contract was restructured to keep him around, but Pittsburgh knows what it would have gotten with Roberts based on his play in the Steel City over the course of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Holcomb is a little bit of an unknown because no one is quite sure how he will rebound from the brutal injury that he sustained in Week 9 of the 2023 campaign.

Steelers Will Be Relying On Having A Stout Defense Throughout 2025 Season

While the offense is expected to get a boost with Rodgers running the show, Pittsburgh has always been, and likely always will be, about strong defensive performances. 

Roberts won't be contributing to the efforts in 2025, but the group in the Steel City is already causing excitement with training camp underway. Fans are hopeful that the departure of Roberts won't come back to bite the franchise, but Carroll's comments certainly lead one to believe it may have bit a mistake to let him walk over to Las Vegas in free agency.

Do you think the Steelers will regret not re-signing Roberts? Let us know in the comments below!

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