Elandon Roberts’ pectoral injury will prevent him from playing for the Steelers against the Seahawks.
Another week, another inside linebacker on the shelf for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Tuesday at his weekly press conference that Elandon Roberts will miss the game Sunday at the Seattle Seahawks with a pectoral injury that he sustained in the Steelers’ 34-11 victory against Cincinnati on Saturday.
Given the serious nature of pectoral injuries, Roberts could miss the rest of the regular season. He follows in the footsteps of Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander, who were lost to season-ending injuries and placed on injured reserve in November.
With Roberts out, the Steelers will turn to Mykal Walker, Myles Jack, Blake Martinez and Mark Robinson to fill out the position against the Seahawks. Only Robinson, a 2022 seventh-round draft pick, has spent the entire season with the team.
Walker was signed to the practice squad Oct. 30 and has started four of the past six games. Martinez was signed off Carolina’s practice squad roster Nov. 21, but he has started just once in five games. After playing 21 snaps in the Steelers’ loss to New England, he was a healthy scratch the past two weeks.
“Blake has been in stadium with us before,” Tomlin said. “It will be less troublesome than the last time we called on him.”
After spending last season with the Steelers, Jack considered retirement after he spent a few weeks with Philadelphia in training camp. He decided to resume his career Nov. 20 when he joined the practice squad.
Jack was elevated to the active roster for the first time to play Saturday against Cincinnati. Jack finished third on the team with six tackles. He had a sack and two quarterback hurries.
“He’s a football lover,” Tomlin said. “He might have been pushing toward retirement, but probably because of lack of opportunity. It didn’t take him long to ponder the opportunity when we reached out to him. I would imagine he was waiting for the call.”
Safety dance
All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will be limited in practice to start the week after he sat out the Cincinnati game with a knee injury. Without Fitzpatrick, the Steelers turned to veteran Patrick Peterson to switch from cornerback, and he is in line to play safety against against Seattle.
Counting Damontae Kazee’s suspension and Trenton Thompson’s stinger that left him unavailable to play against Cincinnati, the Steelers turned to Eric Rowe and Miles Killebrew at strong safety. It was Rowe’s first experience since he joined the practice squad on Nov. 20.
“I’m appreciative of that collective’s experience and versatility,” Tomlin said.
The trickle down from Peterson’s position move involved Levi Wallace regaining his starting role at outside cornerback. He played all 64 defensive snaps against the Bengals. Chandon Sullivan played 45 snaps at nickel corner, marking the second time this year he logged more than 50% of the defensive plays.
“I’m appreciative of all the guys involved,” Tomlin said. “They did the job. … It was a group effort, certainly.”
Like Fitzpatrick, Thompson will be limited at the start of the week.
Roster moves
David Perales’ second stint on the practice squad ended when he was waived Tuesday. The Steelers also lost safety Henry Black from the practice squad when the Indianapolis Colts signed him to their active roster.
Running back Anthony McFarland, who was released last week, is being re-signed to the practice squad.