Elandon

Roberts

Roberts reportedly suffered a sprained elbow in the team’s Week 1 win over the Patriots. He missed practice Thursday but managed to increase his participation each subsequent day, getting in a limited session Friday before upgrading to a full practice Saturday.

"(Roberts) sprained his elbow and we’ll see what that all means,” Carroll said in his post-game presser. The veteran linebacker exited late in the first quarter of Sunday’s game and did not return to the field, but Carroll didn’t rule out Roberts playing through the injury sooner rather than later. Roberts is in his first season with the Raiders and totaled 46 tackles, five TFLs, and one sack in 17 games with the Steelers last season. We’ll likely know more about his injury and how long he’s expected to be out in the coming days.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll gets his do-it-all linebacker. At 30 years old, Roberts is still a very capable run-defender and blitzer. He tallied 32 tackles, eight tackles for loss or no gain and 12 quarterback pressures last season. The latter sum is the second-best total of his career and he’s impressively finished with double-digit quarterback pressures in each of the last four seasons

The Steelers’ Tuesday practice report was just an estimation, but Fitzpatrick was notably listed as a non-participant. He has been out since Week 15 with a knee issue that he continues to deal with. Fitzpatrick has a few days to return to practice for a Week 18 matchup against the Ravens. The only other Steeler listed as a non-participant was LB Elandon Roberts (pectoral).

Fitzpatrick exited Week 15 with a knee injury and missed Week 16 against the Bengals with the issue. He starts out the week with a DNP listing and his absence would be a tough blow in a critical Week 17 matchup against the Seahawks. LB Elandon Roberts (pectoral) also did not participate in practice, leaving the Steelers defense thin over the middle of the field.

Roberts posted career-highs in tackles (107) and sacks (4.5) last season with the Dolphins, steadily improving in each of his last three seasons with the team. The former sixth-round draft pick becomes the latest defensive signing for the Steelers, who have heavily prioritized that side of the ball since the legal tampering period opened on Monday. Roberts will likely pair alongside former Commanders linebacker Cole Holcomb, who the Steelers recently inked to a three-year deal.

Roberts, 28 next month, started 15-of-17 games he appeared in last season, playing a career-high 621 defensive snaps (55%), recording 83 tackles and one sack. He also pitches in on special teams.

Roberts is working his way back from a knee injury after he ended 2020 on IR. The Dolphins re-signed him in March, suggesting they don’t have any long-term concerns. Roberts, who finished fifth on Miami in tackles last year despite missing three games, has just over a month to get cleared for training camp.

The Dolphins signed Roberts away from New England a year after HC Brian Flores left for Miami. He’s one of many veterans that Flores managed to pull away from the Patriots. Roberts ended 2020 on IR with a knee injury but still managed to rack up 61 tackles across 13 games. That was good for fifth on the team. Roberts is a talented run-stopper and will re-join a talented Miami defense in 2021.

He is headed to injured reserve, which would make him ineligible to return before the AFC Championship Game. Losing Roberts is a downgrade to Miami’s run defense. The Dolphins will turn to Sam Eguavoen and Kamu Grugier-Hill to replace Roberts.