If the Pittsburgh Steelers have shown us something over the years, it's that they value veteran leadership and experience. Oftentimes, this comes at the expense of keeping older players around. Unfortunately, Omar Khan and the front office didn't practice what they preach with Elandon Roberts.
The veteran linebacker is coming off a phenomenal season as a downhill, in-the-box linebacker for the Steelers, and his niche role as a tooth-chipper and tone-setter was fun to watch. However, Pittsburgh not only allowed Roberts to hit free agency, but they were fine with him getting snatched away... for pennies, I might add.
On the first night of the NFL's negotiation period, ESPN's Adam Schefter announced Roberts had reached an agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders on a one-year, $3 million deal. Earlier in the day, NFL Insider Tom Pelissero reported the Steelers had come to terms on a contract with linebacker Malik Harrison.
The Steelers got younger at the position, but letting Roberts walk on a dirt-cheap contract will prove to be a mistake.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should have signed Elandon Roberts over Malik Harrison
I'll admit that I was at least intrigued by Malik Harrison when he was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Ohio State product possessed an impressive blend of size (6'3'', 247 pounds) and athletic traits of an off-ball linebacker.
But having watched Harrison on the Baltimore Ravens' roster over the past five seasons, this move is hard to get behind.
I understand the thought process. With more special teams snaps than defensive snaps so far in his career, Harrison was brought on to essentially be a Tyler Matakevich replacement. Admittedly, Harrison thrives in this role. But by swapping Roberts for Harrison, the Steelers lost the hammer in the middle of their defense.
Not only are they getting a worse defensive player, but they also have to pay more. The Steelers' contract with Harrison is a two-year deal worth $10 million. Last year, Harrison was PFF's 76th-ranked linebacker out of 84 qualifying players—earning a poor grade of 51.6. He was also a liability in coverage when asked to play in space.
Meanwhile, Roberts earned an outstanding 91.0 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus during the 2024 season (3rd in the NFL) and his overall grade was good for 8th in the league while playing more defensive snaps than Harrison.
The Pittsburgh Steelers value special teams, and Malik Harrison fits the bill of what they look for. Still, Elandon Roberts was a tone-setter, and losing him for pennies in free agency could impact their defense more than fans realize.