The Las Vegas Raiders made another addition to their defense on the first day of free agency by signing Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts on Monday night.
Roberts signed a one-year, $3 million deal per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Roberts is a nine-year veteran and former New England Patriots sixth-rounder. In 2024, he started in 14 games for the Steelers and played in all 17. He tallied 46 total tackles and five tackles for loss. Per Pro Football Focus, he had a 91 run defense grade, which was third among all linebackers.
His best stretch of football may have been with the Miami Dolphins; he played in South Florida for three seasons, starting 43 of 47 games and registering 251 tackles with 24 tackles for loss, seven sacks and an interception.
His time with the Dolphins coincided with Raiders defensive line coach Rob Leonard.
The two-time Super Bowl-winning linebacker has played in 140 games and started in 105. He is has struggled in pass coverage but his downhill ability and knack for making plays, give him value as a cheap pickup who can play productive situational football for Patrick Graham’s defense.
Roberts was valuable to the Steelers, as Steelers On SI’s Ari Meyer wrote, “Roberts has been a key contributor for the past two seasons, taking a larger role in 2023 before splitting time with rookie Payton Wilson in 2024. In the last seven games of the season, however, Roberts outsnapped Wilson. Roberts totalled 14 tackles in the Steelers playoff loss to the Ravens, proving to be a force in a game where the Steelers defense otherwise was generally unimpressive.”
Roberts is an aggressive, old-school linebacker who should fit well with a Raiders defense that prides itself on toughness and gritty, physical football. The Raiders lost their best linebacker to free agency on Monday when Robert Spillane signed with the New England Patriots.
While Roberts is no replacement for Spillane, he can be part of a linebacker room that fills the void in the aggregate — 2024 Tommy Eichenberg being one of the names most have tabbed as a potential option. The Raiders also have the 2025 NFL Draft.
