It was just over a year ago when the Steelers were looking to make changes at the inside linebacker position, signing multiple players in the first two days of free agency.
One of those signed was linebacker Elandon Roberts.
And what a signing it turned out to be.
In a season where injuries plagued the inside linebacker position, Roberts provided stability, even if he had his share of what he referred to as 'bump and bruises' to deal with along the way.
"I am not going to leave my guys hanging," said Roberts of his willingness to deal with the bumps and bruises all throughout the 2023 season. "If I can go, I am going to go. I am going to try my hardest. I won't go if I am going to put my team in jeopardy, but I am going to go if I have good faith that I am good enough to get the job done for my teammates."
And go he did.
He held it together in the middle after the team lost inside linebackers Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb to season ending injuries and did it at a high level.
"It hit our position group," said Roberts. "I just feel like my injury was bumps and bruises. That is everybody. You get little nicks. But I think the guys in the inside backer room made a good effort to establish what we could in the later part of the season."
Roberts started 15 of the 16 games he played in last season, finishing with a team high 101 tackles, 68 of them solo stops, 10 tackles for a loss, two and a half sacks and two passes defensed.
He was the glue that held the middle together, wearing the 'green dot' as the main communicator for the defense.
Take a look at photographs of Steelers LB Elandon Roberts from the 2023 season
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 17-10. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023 in Cincinnati, OH. The Steelers defeated the Bengals 16-10. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) prior to a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Browns 26-22. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50), Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56), and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 17-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 in Houston, TX. The Texans beat the Steelers 30-6. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 in Indianapolis, IN. The Colts beat the Steelers 30-13. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) prior to a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Browns 26-22. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023 in Cleveland, OH. The Browns beat the Steelers 13-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023 in Cleveland, OH. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The 49ers beat the Steelers 30-7. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 in Baltimore, MD. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 17-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) prior to a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The 49ers beat the Steelers 30-7. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The 49ers defeated the Steelers 30-7. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) prior to a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Patriots beat the Steelers 21-18. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander (54) and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Titans 20-16. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Packers 23-19. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Titans 20-16. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Jaguars beat the Steelers 20-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Jaguars beat the Steelers 20-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV. The Steelers defeated the Raiders 23-18. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Jaguars beat the Steelers 20-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end DeMarvin Leal (98) during a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 in Atlanta, GA. The Steelers defeated the Falcons 24-0. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023 in Cleveland, OH. The Browns beat the Steelers 13-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Patriots beat the Steelers 21-18. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Patriots beat the Steelers 21-18. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 17-10. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
"I take a lot of pride in it," said Roberts. "I tell guys all the time leadership can get lonely. That is why a lot of people don't want that job. It can get lonely. You do get a lot of fingers pointed at you. You get the scrutiny.
"But, to have the collective group, T.J. (Watt), Minkah (Fitzpatrick), (Alex) Highsmith, Cam (Heyward), they made my job so much easier. I would communicate and they would communicate more. When we were off, the collective was able to calm the group back down and get us going in the right direction. I was in the middle and the green dot, but that is just one piece of the puzzle. Those guys did a great job. You just love working with guys like that because I may get the credit for it, but they are the piece of it. It was worth fighting through all of it because of them, they were a big piece of me.
"I love the guys here, the locker room. I love it each day. I know we all talk about guys like T.J., Cam and Minkah, but the young guys, some of the other guys, playing with Nick Herbig, all those guys. The guys on the offensive side. You see how they go about things and want to see team success on special teams. The collective of what we are all doing. You understand why the locker room is so close."
That closeness is something Roberts admits he missed during the offseason but knows it will be right back to where they started when they all get back together again this week for offseason workouts.
And he looks forward to everyone being back, working with Coach Mike Tomlin once again, a coach he always wanted to play for.
"It's great playing for him," said Roberts. "If you want to know what makeup a head coach needs to have, Mike T is the definition of it. He is a leader of men. A father. A guy who teaches us how to go about things on and off the field. That is what makes him so unique.
"When I had the opportunity last offseason to sign with this team, I was grateful for it. I always wanted to play for Coach T. I remember at my pro day when I was coming out of college, my mom and dad talked to him for 45 minutes to an hour outside of it and I knew then if I don't get drafted, hopefully one day I would get the chance to play for him.
"I like everything about Pittsburgh. I like who I am coached by, and I look to be here a while."
