Steelers Cut-Down Day Recap: Elandon Roberts Released, Elliott to IR, All 10 Draft Picks Make Roster

Alan Saunders breaks down the Steelers' surprisingly eventful cut from 91 to 53. The biggest shock was the release of veteran linebacker Elandon Roberts, a move that caught players in the locker room off guard after his strong preseason. Strong safety DeShon Elliott lands on injured reserve with a recurring hamstring issue, leaving Pittsburgh dangerously thin at safety with just three on the roster. Saunders details the secondary options, including potentially shifting Jalen Ramsey to free safety. All 10 2026 draft picks made the team, along with undrafted defensive tackle Kevin Jabaret, who beat out veterans Dean Lowry and others. The offensive tackle situation also looms after the Broderick Jones trade left just three on the roster.

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Video Transcript

Hey folks, good morning and welcome to the episode of Steelers Morning Rush.

I'm Allen Saunders.

It is Monday, August 31st.

The Pittsburgh Steelers roster has just 53 players on it and boy did we get some surprises on Sunday as the Steelers made their final cuts down from 91 to 53.

They placed that they made two trades.

They placed three players on some type of injured list and then the rest were just straight releases as the Steelers got down.

The big news of the day on Sunday that the Steelers uh placed Joey Porter Jr. on the active 53-man roster paving the way for him to return to action for week one, although just because they did that doesn't necessarily mean that he will.

We'll find out more maybe about Porter when Omar Khan talks to reporters at 3:00 p.m. today on the south side at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

I'll be there for Steelers now for that.

In addition, I would say the other most surprising thing that happened on Sunday was the release of veteran linebacker Alan Roberts, a move that still continues to confuse those in Steelers Nation and frankly those in the Steelers locker room that I've spoken to.

A a very surprising move that nobody saw coming, Roberts, one of several veterans to be released along with Dean Lowry and and some others, but I think Roberts very clearly expected to make the team after the Steelers took the stab of bringing him in late in training camp and then he played very very well in the preseason.

Sometimes when the Steelers release a veteran around the roster deadline, they do so as part of a paper transaction with the intention to bring him right back the next day.

That does not seem to be the case this time around.

I'm saying it won't happen, but that is not what has been the plan to this point.

The Steelers may need to make a paper transaction though as they did use two of their injured reserve spots.

The Steelers can only put two players on injured reserve with a designation to return before the cut down deadline and one of them is a big deal.

Strong safety to Sean Elliott going on that list with an aggravation of the hamstring injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely.

Elliott returned to action against the New York Jets in the team's second preseason game but was in and out of practice last week and now ends up on the IR yet again with an aggravation of that injury.

He will miss at least the first four weeks.

So we'll back up tackle Jack Driskel who uh suffered an ankle injury at practice last week.

Let's start with the fallout from Elliott as the Steelers are now very very thin at safety.

It was already their most thin position.

Jaquwan Brisker, nominally the starting free safety, has not practiced in three weeks.

Don't know what his status will be going into week one.

Jaylen Ramsey, who can play free safety, but was pencilled in as the starting nickel corner, also has two practices under his belt after coming back from a mini camp knee injury.

We'll see where Ramsey lines up and that'll probably tell us a lot when the Sooners get back to the practice field on Tuesday.

They practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday this week and then begin their week one the following week after the NFL PA mandated 4-day off over the Labor Day weekend.

But so yeah, a couple of different things they can do.

They can play Brisker at strong safety where he's played in the past and Ramsey at free safety and then move someone like Brandon Echols who did make His return from injury in the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday at Nickel Corner.

They could also try Robert Speers Jennings, the seventh round rookie or veteran Ray Sean Jenkins who has a lot of starts under his belt, but uh hasn't been a regular starter in quite some time uh at safety as well.

We'll see how that falls out, but what was already the Steelers' thinnest position now even thinner, just three true safety on the 53-man roster in Brisker, Jenkins, and Spears-Jennings, and only one of them really projected to be a starter this year.

We'll see if the Steelers can use Ramsey there or what they can do, but what looked to be a weakness now and absolutely critical one.

On the offensive line, the Steelers after trading Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday go into the season with just three on their 53-man roster.

Max Agholor, Dillon Cook, and Troy Fautanu.

That's probably not enough.

And we'll see what happens with the Steelers' roster and whether they decide to add a tackle.

There were plenty on the waiver wire.

Uh former Cleveland Browns star Jedrick Wills was released.

Uh Nicholas Petite-Frere was a fairly high draft pick uh was also cut loose.

In addition to the sort of normal um roster uh fluff guys like David Sharp who was on the Steelers practice squad for a time last year uh was also released, you know, the normal sort of chaff at the bottom of a roster, but some some big names there as well.

Jedd Wills uh was a really good player before some knee injuries uh sort of sapped his momentum in Cleveland.

We'll see why he was released by the Bears and if the Steelers are interested, but there's there seems to be more than usual in terms of uh viable tackle depth uh because the Steelers used those two IR spots.

That means that they could be putting somebody else on the injured reserve today.

If they had put a third player on injured reserve yesterday, that player would have been out for the season.

But because they got through the 53, someone like Will Howard who's or Ben Skrochnic, both of which were evaluated for concussions during the team's preseason finale or after the team's preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, if they're put on they could be put on injured reserve today, so we'll have to stay tuned for that.

There could be an opportunity to add someone to the roster that way.

And I also for the team to make waiver claims.

Remember when we talked about uh, you know, Durant Grant the last fourth round pick to not make the team.

He made the team initially uh and then was cut the next day as the Steelers claimed someone off waivers.

Waiver claims will process today at 1:00 p.m.

So, stay tuned for that.

Uh and uh the other big news, all 10 draft picks.

10 of 10 made the team in addition to that, undrafted free agent defensive tackle Kevin Jabaret, found a way past Dean Lowry and a save to Tomiwa to make it to the 53 man roster.

A huge surprise to me, something I didn't see coming.

Uh he did have a sack in that uh last preseason game against the Bills, but very surprised it was Jabbarty and not one of the more veteran players on that defensive line, especially because sixth round pick Gabe Rubio also made the team.

And uh yeah, it was was very surprised that that was the route that Steelers chose.

Uh but yeah, all 10 rookies, including Eli Hendenreich, who beat out Lou Nichols and Travis Homer.

and will absorb that personal protector role in the punt team as long as the as well as the number three running back duties.

That's a lot of faith in a player who has never played running back before this preseason, but he did look good in that preseason finale against the Bills.

In that role, had that one really nice drive that was capped off with his touchdown on a toss sweep to the right in that game.

So a a big it looks like in hindsight, a big preseason performance really sealed the deal for Eli Hyde and Reich.

Uh Spears Jennings, of course We talked about the Steelers desperate at that spot, so no surprise there.

Riley Nowakowski.

I don't think there was any real danger of him not making the team the fifth round uh tied end in.

I think Kaden Uegin sort of sealed the deal with his punt return touchdown and also the potential for injury to Scarronick uh means the Steelers are probably not going to want to go short at wide receivers.

So uh I felt like it was pretty clear he was going to make the team as well.

That's it for this morning.

here on Morning Rush.

Try to recap all the news from Sunday.

Uh we'll have a full length afternoon drive with me and Smithy after I talked to Omar Khan.

Uh also, I'll check out my column coming up this morning on uh what the trades of Rod Ark Jones and Caleb Johnson says about Omar Khan's drafting and whether it should be concerning.

That's coming up this morning at stealernow.com.

Make sure to go over there, check that out.

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We'll see you later.

Thanks for listening.

Thanks for watching.

Until next time, enjoy.

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