Former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden Thrilled With One LB: 'He's Sticking His Face In The Fan'

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an outstanding preseason prepping for the 2023 regular season. While it is of course only the preseason, they did go 3-0 and quarterback Kenny Pickett had a perfect passer rating. Despite only showing a small portion of the tricks they have in their bag and the starters only playing a limited amount, the Steelers left fans optimistic and analysts changing their tune regarding Pittsburgh's potential for 2023. It also has folks talking about individual player performances and dropping names of those who exceeded expectations.    

Former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden now hosts a podcast called All Things Covered with his cousin and current Steelers cornerback, Patrick Peterson. During a recent episode, they discussed the three preseason games and talked about which players impressed them the most. McFadden said he was blown away by the playmaking of new Steelers linebacker, Elandon Roberts.   

Roberts was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. While in New England, Roberts helped the Patriots make it to three Super Bowls and win two. He was nominated to be a team defensive captain and along with Dont'a Hightower, made up "The Boogeymen," a powerful linebacking duo. 

He was signed by the Miami Dolphins in 2020 where he stayed for three seasons. During his NFL career, Roberts has shown incredible versatility, athleticism and ambition. He has played in multiple linebacker spots and has even filled in as a fullback on the offense when needed. He even caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady.

The Steelers signed him to a two-year contract in March 2023 and the preseason gave fans their first real peek at what Roberts can do. This came as a relief to many fans since the inside linebacker group has been lacking for several years. The team practically swept the table clean and brought in all new interior guys including Roberts, Cole Holcomb, and Kwon Alexander.    

Roberts performed especially well in the exhibition game against the Atlanta Falcons. During that game, he had two tackles for a loss and a sack. He has both said and shown that he is not at the end of his career, he has a lot more to prove. Having Roberts, along with Alexander and Holcomb, will help to bring back an elite interior linebacker group that more effectively matches the beasts we have on the outside in Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt. 

Bryant McFadden Was Just Dazzled By Elandon Roberts And His Aggressive Play 

On the podcast, McFadden mentioned Roberts as one of the preseason players he felt most impressed by. He said he was not surprised at all to see how well the EDGE guys performed, but he was cautiously optimistic about the interior players. Roberts he felt was out there looking to make big plays, looking for action on the field (or smoke as McFadden calls it).  

"Oh, he looking for action, he want smoke. And you kind of know he wants smoke because anytime your linebacker has a pitbull neck. Right? His neck is like a pitbull. You know he's sticking his head in the fan, he's sticking his fave in the fan every time."

He jokingly says to Peterson that he has been in football a long time and he doesn't have a neck like that. One where his traps (the trapezius muscles in his neck) are so big, it looks like his head sits on his shoulders like he doesn't have a neck.  

"I don't know what kind of collar size he is, but when you see him, he looks like he's looking for some smoke. He's putting his face in that fan any given time," marvels McFadden.

Peterson said he loves all the linebackers. He feels they are very blessed to have the group they do because they will all run sideline to sideline and are all willing to put their face in the fan. 

The Steelers have a long and proud history of having excellent defenses, especially linebackers. McFadden added that our linebackers are always a bit intense, a little "off" and that is a critical piece necessary to be tough enough to make it in Pittsburgh.  

"If you know anything about the history of the Steelers defense, the linebackers, got to be mentally off, football-wise. They got to be a little weird right here (points to his head). And we got some linebackers that are really thrown off, they're looking for that smoke."

Do you agree with McFadden? Do you think Roberts impressed during the preseason? What are your expectations for him for the regular season? Click to