Elandon Roberts Reacts After Surprising Steelers Release

Following his release from the Pittsburgh Steelers on roster cutdown day, Elandon Roberts reacted to the surprising move on social media.

Roberts put up two posts on his Instagram story, with the first being a motivational video voiced by boxing legend Mike Tyson.

"God tests you," Tyson said in the video. "He tests you to see how much of this you can take before you say, 'Let's just be finished with this.' He wants to see how much you can take, how much you can handle. Life is beautiful, but you have to accept the good and the bad of being beautiful."

On the next post, Roberts wrote, "When you built off a legit foundation, you don't fold when the walls get dirty.. you just grab the bucket and get back to WORK!!"

Elandon Roberts' Instagram story following his surprise release from the Steelers pic.twitter.com/mJGoUZw1al
— All Steelers Talk (@AllSteelersTalk) August 31, 2026

Roberts' Departure Could Mean Trouble for Steelers at Inside Linebacker

Roberts wasn't going to mask all of Pittsburgh's issues at inside linebacker, a position that caused a fair amount of problems for the team's defense in 2025, but he was a solid veteran option who would've helped raise the group's floor.

The 32-year-old inked a one-year deal with the Steelers just before the preseason began, and he was one of the team's most impressive players in their final two exhibition contests.

As a result, it felt like all but a lock that Roberts would make the 53-man roster, especially since he played under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham with the Las Vegas Raiders last year while also having been in Pittsburgh during the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.

Instead, he ended cutdown day as the Steelers' most surprising roster casualty, and by a wide margin.

It's possible Roberts could return to Pittsburgh down the line, but he told DK Pittsburgh Sports' Dejan Kovacevic that the organization has yet to arrange anything on that front as of August 30.

Jan 6, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) runs with the ball after a whistle during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Heading into the year with Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson as the starters and clear frontrunners for reps at inside linebacker feels a bit risky after that duo fell short more often than not last season.

Roberts could've helped ease both of their workloads and given the Steelers a proven physical run-stuffer in the middle of their defense, though the team seemingly didn't value what he brought to the table for one reason or another.

Cole Holcomb's a solid No. 3 option, and Carson Bruener has shown some progression on the defensive side of the ball, but Pittsburgh would've been far better off holding onto Roberts rather than letting him go.

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