Elandon Roberts Pushing To Play In Preseason Finale: ‘Need To Get Some Things Ironed Out’

A 10-year NFL veteran, Elandon Roberts might not need preseason reps, but don’t tell the Steelers thumper that. Having just recently signed with the team for a second stint, he made a strong impression last week. Before the regular season begins, however, he wants more reps—and not just to secure a place on the team.

“Me, myself, I hope to be playing, because I still need to get some things ironed out and whatnot”, Elandon Roberts said via the Steelers’ website when asked whether he gives young bubble players advice in situations like this.

Roberts has 121 career starts and 4,877 defensive snaps under his belt. In two years with the Steelers in 2023-24, he logged well over 1,000 snaps combined. Last season, playing under current Steelers DC Patrick Graham, he played 654 snaps. While he admits Graham’s Pittsburgh defense is different, he feels very comfortable in it. He feels less comfortable with where he stands.

“I know it’s kind of naïve of me, but I never went into a season even in my 10 years ever feeling like”, Roberts said, proceeding to gesture in such a way seemingly intended to imply taking his spot for granted. “I’ve always been like, ‘Well, I didn’t get no call’, and I just go to work the next day. I think it’s for myself. It keeps me prepared. It keeps me never feeling comfortable”.

The call to which he refers is the call up to the head coach on roster cut day to hand in your playbook and hear that you’re not making the team. Elandon Roberts has never gotten that call in his NFL career, even as a rookie sixth-round pick under Bill Belichick with the Patriots in 2016.

But this year, he remained an unsigned free agent all the way into mid-August, so it’s difficult to portray him as some kind of roster lock. Even though he played well last year and flashed in the Steelers’ last preseason game, one has to raise the question of why Roberts wasn’t already with a team. Signing a veteran-minimum contract, it’s not like he was holding out for a big payday.

Well, most seem to feel that Roberts is firmly inside the roster bubble, unless the Steelers really trim the inside linebacker position. He may well be the replacement for Malik Harrison, whom the previous regime signed last year, coincidentally, to replace Roberts. They clearly never should have done that, given how the past year-plus has gone for the two players.

But now is now, and Elandon Roberts wants more reps before the regular season begins. Both, perhaps, to harness his talents and better ensure that he has a place on the team. Even if he has the edge over Harrison, there’s a possibility a numbers crunch could force the Steelers to carry only four inside linebackers. In that case, he would likely be in direct competition with Cole Holcomb, who has run ahead of him.