The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially preparing for the regular season, which will kick off in just about two weeks. With that comes finalizing the 53-man roster. Every NFL team had to do that on Sunday, and there are always surprises that occur. It usually involves a veteran being released, or even some last minute trades. That was seen with both Broderick Jones and Kaleb Johnson, and the surprising cut was of veteran inside linebacker Elandon Roberts. He was signed in the middle of training camp, and most thought he would be a lock to make the final roster.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' Payton Wilson and Elandon Roberts make a tackle on Ravens' running back Derrick Henry in 2024.
Roberts is a well-respected veteran in the NFL, although he has bounced around a good amount throughout his career. He won Super Bowls with the New England Patriots to begin his career, and he eventually signed a deal with the Steelers as he inked a two-year contract with the team during the 2023 offseason. He was an important part of the defense during the 2023 and 2024 seasons and he quickly became a fan favorite. He wasn't brought back during the 2025 offseason, and a lot of fans were upset about that when he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Fans wanted Roberts back in 2025, and when the organization went out and signed him in the middle of training camp in 2026, it seemed like the team was making up for its decision involving Roberts in the past. That was not the case as he was released on Sunday in what was a stunning move. DK Pittsburgh Sports' Dejan Kovacevic spoke to Roberts after the move, and he reported on the matter.
"Let's start here: Elandon Roberts was really, really released," Kovacevic wrote. "As of late last night, there'd been no arrangement between the Steelers and the player to push him through the practice squad or anything like that. 'Nope,' he'd confirm for me. 'Nothing.' So yeah, that's a thing that happened, and it'll be, per the man himself, a thing that sticks. Which is, wild. 'I have no clue,' he'd reply when I asked why. 'I wish the team nothing but the best this season, but I was definitely shocked.'"
It doesn't sound like Roberts was expecting to be released, and he did play well throughout the preseason games he took part in. He also has some familiarity with Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham after their time together with the Raiders, but that wasn't enough for him to be kept on the final roster.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Elandon Roberts reacts after a defensive stop at Acrisure Stadium during the 2024 season.
Many fans assumed when this news broke that it was just some part of the roster gymnastics that a lot of teams take part in at this time of year. This would mean bringing him back on the practice squad, or figuring something else out, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Roberts has been given no hint or clue that he could be brought back, which means he may end up playing for another team once the regular season begins in a couple of weeks.
Steelers Still Have An Exciting Group At Inside Linebacker
The franchise wound up keeping four inside linebackers on the active roster, with the two starters being Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. Cole Holcomb and Carson Bruener were the other two kept as backups. Wilson, Holcomb, and Bruener have all contributed on special teams as well, and there is a chance that either Wilson or Bruener could be a special teams captain when the team votes on that prior to Week 1.
Holcomb is only getting healthier while Bruener seemed to take great strides as a defender during training camp and the preseason games. Those two things had to have played a factor in the decision to part with Roberts, but they don't make the move any better.
What do you think about these comments from Roberts after his release? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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