Steelers' Locker Room Reeling After Horrific Move From The Organization

The Pittsburgh Steelers have just finished up the process of trimming the roster down to the final group that will head into the regular season. Obviously more moves will be made as things get underway, but the hardest part of the process is over with. Roster cut down day is usually pretty predictable aside from a few spots on a given roster, but sometimes organizations are able to surprise their fans with an unexpected move. That happened for Pittsburgh on Sunday as it was announced that the team was going to be releasing veteran inside linebacker Elandon Roberts, which is a move that has not been viewed positively.

Roberts had a history in Pittsburgh as he originally signed with the team back during the 2023 season. He played for Pittsburgh in 2023 and 2024, but he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2025 season. Fans were not happy when the team decided not to bring him back after the 2024 season had ended, and now the franchise has upset the fan base once again when it comes to Roberts. He was released on Sunday, and there does not seem to be any plan to bring him back. Many assumed he would be back and this move was just something to maneuver some numbers, but that is not the case.

This move surprised many people, and the fan base is going to be critical about every move that is made. More importantly, it's how the moves are viewed within the locker room. Former Steelers defender Breiden Fehoko took to social media on Monday and noted that this move is not going over well.

"This hasn’t held up well with the locker room," Fehoko wrote. "Considering the logistics of that LB room. I think it’s very disrespectful that a guy with his resume was brought in as a camp body with no intentions to bring him back. Mind boggling decision when you play Bijan [Robinson] Week 1."

Roberts is a downhill thumper at the inside linebacker position, meaning he excels when playing against the run. He has been able to fill that role nicely when he has been on the roster, and that would have been nice for Pittsburgh's Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons and star running back Bijan Robinson.

The most troubling part about this move is not that Roberts didn't make the team when he probably should have, it is how everything was handled. He was brought in during the middle of training camp and essentially used as a camp body. That is okay to do with a young player trying to make a name for themselves in the NFL, but Roberts has plenty of experience in the NFL. He should never be a camp body, especially when he has already spent two seasons with the franchise and played under Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham. 

Bringing in a veteran like Roberts as a camp body would likely never be viewed well by the other players on the roster, and that is especially true when the coaching staff had him playing in the second half of preseason games. The other guys in the locker room see how a respected veteran like Roberts was just treated, and it could leave some players skeptical about the coaching staff. 

Steelers Better Hope Current ILBs Can Step Up

The two starters at inside linebacker are going to be Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, while Cole Holcomb and Carson Bruener are the backups. Queen has been inconsistent since arriving in Pittsburgh, and Wilson still needs to prove that he is the type of linebacker that can be on the field in all situations. There's a good amount of uncertainty with those two starters, which makes the move to get rid of a veteran like Roberts all the more puzzling.

What do you think about the locker room not loving this move from the organization? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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