The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially finalized their 53-man roster for the upcoming regular season. A lot of tough decisions were made as it pertained to both keeping quality talent and cutting ties with veteran experience. One significant name that the Steelers had to part ways with was two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker Elandon Roberts.
Roberts, who was signed by Pittsburgh at the end of the preseason, has now had two stints with the organization. He previously spent two seasons with the club (2023-2024). At 32 years of age and with over 120 career starts to his name, Roberts has a great shot to find another team in no time.
Pittsburgh Steelers Like Their Current LB Rom
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy and new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham had seen enough to make a final decision on their off-ball linebacker position group. Between Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holecomb, Carson Bruener, and others, this linebacker room looks to be in quality shape. Losing Roberts, who, according to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, is one of the NFL’s top bargain free-agent linebackers, could be a tough yet necessary pill to swallow.
Here is what Knox wrote about Roberts potentially being a quality addition to any team after Pittsburgh decided to release him:
“With hundreds of experienced players flooding the free-agent market, teams will spend the next several days chasing upgrades. Many teams will find ways to improve their rosters at a bargain rate, too…Elandon Roberts was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers after making 16 starts for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. The 32-year-old has 30 starts over the past two seasons and 121 for his career.”
Steelers Look to Improve Defensive Output in 2026
The obvious reason why Graham was brought to Pittsburgh in the first place this offseason was that, in the wake of former head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down, it meant that former defensive coordinator Teryl Austin would not be back either. In came McCarthy and in came Graham, who will look to help get this defense back on track to what it was during the height of Tomlin’s run at the helm in the Steel City. In fact, the fate of the Steelers’ season could very well hinge on that.
Last season, the Steelers finished the year ranked 26th in total defense with an average of 356.9 total yards allowed per game. They finished 29th in pass defense after giving up an average of 243.9 yards per game. Their mark of 22.8 points per game allowed was not an overly impressive one either. If not for the fact that they had the fourth-most takeaways in the league (27), it could have been a whole lot worse for Tomlin and Co. But now that McCarthy and Graham are in the fold, perhaps a fresh perspective on defense could be the answer for Pittsburgh in the new season.
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