Steelers’ Elandon Roberts Fires Clear Message Ahead of Ravens Matchup

Linebacker Elandon Roberts of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been limited in practice ahead of Week 18. More than likely, he will carry a questionable tag into the must-win matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

But Roberts made it clear to reporters on January 4 that he intends to play versus the Ravens.

“I’m playing,” Roberts said, via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko.

When faced with a follow-up question about whether the pectoral muscle injury that sidelined him in Week 17 could limit him versus Baltimore, Roberts again repeated, “I’m playing.”

The Steelers will kick off against the Ravens in Week 18 on Saturday, January 6 at 4:30 pm ET.

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What an Elandon Roberts Return Would Mean for Steelers

The Steelers managed to get by without Roberts in Week 18 against the Seattle Seahawks. But the Pittsburgh defense continued to struggle at covering tight ends.

Seahawks tight end Noah Fant finished with a team-lead 5 receptions and was second for Seattle with 59 receiving yards against the Seattle. Fant and fellow tight end Colby Parkinson each had a reception of at least 20 yards.

The Steelers have been experiencing difficulties against tight ends over the past month. Linebackers Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander suffered season-ending injuries at the beginning of November. That left Roberts as the lone inside linebacker who the Steelers trusted with significant snaps to begin the season.

Whichever tight end Roberts has not been covering has generally been the target for opposing defenses in recent weeks.

Since Roberts suffered a pectoral injury during Week 16, the Steelers have been forced to turn to practice squad players, including recently unretired Myles Jack.

Without Roberts, Jack played every defensive snaps in Seattle and served as Pittsburgh’s defensive play caller.

Getting Roberts back on the field would obviously be a huge boost. The Steelers must beat the Ravens and hope either the Jacksonville Jaguars or Buffalo Bills lose in Week 18 to earn a playoff spot.

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Steelers Linebacker Depth for Week 18

Even if Roberts is able to return, the Steelers remain thin at inside linebacker. Of the other three inside linebackers on Pittsburgh’s active roster, only one of them, Mark Robinson, began the season with the Steelers.

Veteran Mykal Walker joined Pittsburgh’s practice squad on October 30. Since signing with the active roster on November 18, Walker has played significant defensive snaps.

He severely struggled in pass coverage during Weeks 13 and 14, but Walker’s bounced back to play better the past two games, according to the Pro Football Focus player grades.

In addition to Robinson and Walker, Steelers have Blake Martinez on the active roster. However, Martinez hasn’t played since Week 14.

The past two weeks, the Steelers have chosen to play Jack as a practice squad elevation rather than give Martinez more playing time. Having spent the 2022 season in Pittsburgh, Jack is more familiar with the Steelers defensive system.

NFL teams can only elevate practice squad players for game day three times during the regular season. The Steelers have elevated Jack twice. Being that the Ravens matchup is the regular season finale, it’s very likely Jack will be promoted to the active roster again for January 6.

Jack should have a role regardless of whether Roberts plays or not.

But according to Roberts, he’s definitely playing.

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