This season, the success of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been a product of some excellent and timely defense. One positional unit the Steelers completely rebuilt was inside linebacker. And thanks to the additions of Cole Holcomb, Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts, this group has played better than expected and been a real bright spot.
But with inside linebacker Alexander and Holcomb on the injured reserve, the Steelers defense and head coach Mike Tomlin will rely on the veteran Roberts going forward.
“We’re going to lean on Elandon Roberts, but that’s why we brought him here,” Tomlin said during his weekly press conference. “He’s a defensive quarterback in mentality and a really good communicator, a really good above-the-neck player. He does a really good job in those areas.
We hadn’t been playing him, in some situations or possession-down moments, but we might expand his role in some of those areas for benefit of communication and fluidity in that area. But those are things that we get an opportunity to ponder over the course of a preparation week.”
Another player who should see an expanded role on defense is second-year inside linebacker Mark Robinson. The Steelers are also likely to call up one or both of the teams practice squad inside linebackers.
