Steelers' Latest Signing In Elandon Roberts Is Already Setting The Tone In Practice

The Pittsburgh Steelers' goal since Omar Khan took over as the general manager has been to be physical. The roster wants to run the ball on offense and hit hard on defense, and the organization has always prided itself on heavy hitting. Khan's main focus has been in the trenches, spending a lot of premium draft capital on offensive and defensive linemen. This plan has been developing for a long time, but it's finally starting to pay off. The respective units are both young and on the rise, but the intense investing in the big men has left the team rather weak in other areas. 

One of the team's weaker position groups has been the inside linebackers, with Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson as the top two recently. Queen was a big-time signing by Khan, who stole him from division rival Baltimore Ravens, while Wilson was a third-round pick in 2024. The Queen experiment has not gone well, and Wilson has yet to take a step up, with run defense being a major weakness. 

Queen and Wilson are very similar players: finesse guys who play sideline to sideline rather than coming downhill. Typically, when teams run the ball downhill, both have struggled to shed blocks, creating gaps in the defense. Their lack of physicality has been a serious issue for the Steelers, but that issue may be fixed sooner rather than later thanks to their most recent addition to the room. 

Beat writer Nick Farabaugh reported via his X account a live practice play featuring linebacker Elandon Roberts — who recently re-signed with the group — and running back Travis Homer. Even though there is no live tackling in training camp this year, Roberts is still dishing out pops every chance he gets and restoring physicality to a group that desperately needs it. 

"Elandon Roberts and Travis Homer with a loud collision and taking "thud tempo" to what it means", Farabaugh reported. "Roberts flying around and still hitting as much as possible despite no live tackling." 

Roberts spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons in the Black and Gold before departing for the Las Vegas Raiders. After just one season in Las Vegas, he opted not to re-sign, and, instead, he was waiting for his opportunity. Now he's back in Pittsburgh and is already showcasing what made him so beloved among fans. 

The linebacker's role is still unclear; he's 32 and signed just before the preseason opener. He will have to show in the remaining preseason games what he's got left in the tank. If he's still the player he was in 2023 and 2024, he very well could find himself starting next to Queen with Wilson taking the third-down snaps, allowing Wilson to play to his coverage strengths rather than worrying about the run. 

Still, signing a 32-year-old linebacker in August speaks volumes about the lack of confidence in the room. Malik Harrison and Cole Holcomb could now be on the chopping block, and Wilson's starting spot could be in trouble. If he can't maintain his status as a starter, it could create even bigger, longer-term issues for the defense, making it a need in 2027. 

Steelers LB Room Gets Huge Wake-Up Call

The Steelers run defense has been helpless the last three years, largely due to poor linebacker play. They've also been exceptionally poor in coverage, something Wilson has considered to be his strength. Roberts may not be the best player in coverage, but he gets his nose dirty and is in the right spots. He just re-signed and is already making serious noise in practice with his physicality, something the other linebackers haven't necessarily done. 

With a younger, more improved defensive line, the run defense should be able to improve significantly. Adding Roberts to that mix only increases those chances, giving him clear lanes to blow up ball carriers. The preseason should be very telling of what Roberts' role will be in 2026 and could also determine Wilson's status. 

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