PITTSBURGH
A practice-squad signing does not usually start trade speculation. This one did. On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought back linebacker Elandon Roberts to their practice squad, according to Steelers Wire — and Steelers Wire reported that the move may open the door to a Patrick Queen trade.
To be clear about what this is and what it is not: no trade has been reported as agreed, offered or imminent. According to Steelers Wire, the Roberts addition has reignited trade buzz around Queen. The reporting underneath that buzz is real, however, and it is worth walking through carefully, because the pieces — a returning veteran, an expensive starter in the final year of his contract, and a deep linebacker room — fit together in a way front offices notice.
The Signing Itself Is Confirmed
According to Pro Football Rumors, Roberts rejoined the Steelers as a practice-squad player, with head coach Mike McCarthy announcing the move, as reported by Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. Pro Football Rumors noted that Roberts first visited Pittsburgh on Monday, that ESPN's Brooke Pryor had named him a practice-squad candidate depending on how the visit went, and that Roberts played in Pittsburgh during the 2023 and 2024 seasons as a defensive regular before spending a single campaign in Las Vegas, following defensive coordinator Patrick Graham back to the Steelers.
Steelers Depot likewise reported that McCarthy announced the signing during his Monday press conference, and that Roberts spent two seasons with the Steelers in 2023 and 2024 before a year with Graham and the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. According to Steelers Depot, Pittsburgh brought Roberts back during training camp but made him a surprise cut while forming its initial 53-man roster, and he now returns in his 11th NFL season with 694 career tackles on his record. According to Pro Football Rumors, Roberts has totaled 121 starts in a career that began with seven years split between New England and Miami, and he has recorded no fewer than 90 tackles in three of the past four seasons.
Why Roberts Matters to the Rotation
According to Steelers Depot, Roberts is best known as a sure tackler and a physical presence coming downhill in the run game, and while the Steelers shut down Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor in Week 5, the linebacker group has lacked physicality and tackling success overall. Steelers Depot added that, with Roberts on the practice squad, he is eligible to be elevated on game day as many as three times before the Steelers would have to sign him to the active roster to keep playing him.
According to Steelers Wire, Roberts' physical style and his heavy ties to defensive coordinator Patrick Graham may lead to a big role sooner rather than later, and it feels like only a matter of time until Roberts finds his way onto the 53-man roster. Around him, according to Steelers Wire, Payton Wilson has been solid, Cole Holcomb has been serviceable, and Carson Bruener is an excellent special teamer. Steelers Depot described the current hierarchy similarly: Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson have been the top tandem, with Cole Holcomb rotating in and Carson Bruener remaining mostly a special-teams player.
Where Queen Fits — and Why His Name Comes Up
According to Steelers Wire, Queen, like last season, has not looked great in 2026, with tackling inconsistency and effort concerns characterizing his play over the past few games. Steelers Wire reported that Queen is in the final year of his contract, that he was heavily tied to trade rumors this offseason, and that he is carrying a cap hit of about $17 million this season, which may factor into a potential trade. Still Curtain added a data point to the performance discussion, reporting that Queen has earned a 54.2 overall Pro Football Focus grade through five games, with six missed tackles charged against him.
Steelers Wire was careful to add the other side of the ledger: Queen is a valued leader for the Steelers. That matters. Teams do not move locker-room leaders in October on speculation alone, and nothing in the reporting suggests Pittsburgh has decided anything. What the reporting does support is narrower: according to Steelers Wire, the addition of Roberts signals at least an upcoming linebacker rotation, and the site argued that the rotation could leave Queen as the odd man out if Roberts claims a real role.
What to Watch Next
The next evidence will come on game day. If Roberts is elevated from the practice squad and immediately takes early-down snaps, the rotation Steelers Wire described is happening in public. If he stays on the practice squad as pure insurance, the trade talk remains what it is today — informed speculation built on a real roster move, a contract year and a large cap number, not a reported deal.
Either way, Pittsburgh has given itself options at the position where it suddenly has the most of them. Fans tracking the wider AFC race can read Previously's look at what Drake Maye's 45-point day exposed in Las Vegas, catch the fallout from the Bills-Rams postgame fight, and follow every development in the Previously sports section.
