Another Pittsburgh Steelers reunion has taken place in what is quickly becoming a season full of familiar faces returning to Pittsburgh or players reuniting with former coaching staffs. On August 13, the Steelers announced they had signed linebacker Elandon Roberts to a one-year deal.
Roberts spent the 2023 season with the Steelers before playing for the Las Vegas Raiders last season. Now, he gets the chance to reunite with Pittsburgh and his former defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, who is now running the Steelers' defense.
With this new coaching staff, the Steelers are bringing a different tone and identity to the defensive side of the ball. There may not be a better player who embodies what this new defense is trying to become than Roberts.
His return also gives us a much clearer picture of what this defense could look like. The Steelers appear to be moving back toward a style they have gradually drifted away from in recent years, and Roberts' presence could be a major indication of what is to come.
Steelers are looking to bring a more physical brand of defense back to Pittsburgh
The Steelers defense, especially over the past couple of seasons, has been extremely overrated, particularly for a unit that has been among the highest-paid defenses in the NFL. There are plenty of factors that have played into that, including an aging defense, scheme limitations, and communication issues.
But with Patrick Graham now running the show, there appears to be a clear identity emerging for this defense, one that Steelers fans have been asking for for years.
Under Graham, the Steelers want to bring a renewed sense of physicality, scheme versatility, and aggression to the defense. They want to play a brand of football that punches you in the mouth, which makes the signing of Elandon Roberts make even more sense.
His style of play fits exactly what this defense appears to be looking for. Roberts is a downhill thumper against the run who is not afraid to deliver a hit, take on a pulling guard or offensive tackle, and sacrifice his body to fill a gap and make a play.
But the physical element is only part of the equation.
Graham has made clear communication a major part of how he wants this defense to operate. He has emphasized having one unified defensive language through what he calls Steelers terminology, with the goal of eliminating confusion and making sure everyone is on the same page. He has also put an emphasis on building trust with his players by allowing them to provide feedback and being willing to show some vulnerability himself.
The Steelers also appear ready to bring some of the Blitzburgh mentality back. They want to be more willing to blitz, mix up their pressure looks, and consistently put opposing quarterbacks under pressure. The goal is to speed up a quarterback's internal clock and force him into making decisions before he is comfortable doing so.
At the same time, Graham wants this defense to challenge offenses mentally. Pittsburgh wants to disguise coverages both before and after the snap, change its looks, and remain versatile from week to week based on the matchup. The goal is to make it harder for opposing offenses to know exactly what they are going to see and make game planning against this defense more difficult.
That would be a pretty big change from the Steelers defense we have become accustomed to seeing in recent years. At times, Pittsburgh became too predictable under Mike Tomlin, and the scheme seemed unwilling to change. Now, there is an opportunity for this defense to have a much clearer identity and actually play with some unpredictability.
With a defense filled with veterans and the return of a player like Roberts, who has already played in Graham's system, Pittsburgh has players who understand what this defense is supposed to look like.
Roberts can help set the tone for what Graham wants this group to become, and if the Steelers can put all of these pieces together, this defense has a chance to finally play up to the level expected of a unit that is paid to be one of the best in the NFL.
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