Steelers, Elandon Roberts Agree To Deal

Roberts played in Pittsburgh during the 2023 and ’24 seasons. He was as a full-time starter during that time, something which was also the case last year as a member of the Raiders. Roberts played under Patrick Graham with Vegas in 2025; Graham is now the Steelers’ defensive coordinator.

During his second Pittsburgh campaign, Roberts saw his defensive snap share drop to 44% (after checking in at 54% the previous year). The former sixth-rounder was back to a heavy workload in 2025, though, and he could once again operate as a regular upon returning to the Steelers. Roberts, 32, topped 100 tackles as 2023 and posted 90 last season.

Patrick Queen‘s future beyond 2026 is uncertain, but he is in line to remain a defensive anchor for at least one more season. 2024 third-rounder Payton Wilson saw an uptick in playing time last year, and The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo notes to no surprise he has taken first-team reps in training camp alongside Queen. Wilson notched 126 tackles, two sacks and an interception in 2025 and expectations will be high in his case moving forward.

A Queen-Wilson starting tandem would leave Roberts (a veteran of over 4,800 defensive snaps in 157 games) as a highly experienced backup option. The former sixth-rounder will be joined on the LB depth chart by the likes of Cole Holcomb, Jamin Davis and Malik Harrison. Per DeFabo, Harrison has seen his stock drop during training camp and his roster spot may be in jeopardy. A release in his case would yield $4.75MM in cap savings against $2.04MM in dead money.

Finances will no doubt play a role in several Pittsburgh decisions over the coming weeks. The team entered Wednesday with just over $3MM in cap space, the second-lowest figure in the NFL. Roberts played on a one-year deal worth $3.01MM, and a low-cost contract is likely in this case as well.