Steelers Preparing to Be Down Multiple ILBs vs Packers

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are already down one inside linebacker for the season and they might be down a second this week against the Green Bay Packers.

On the heels of Cole Holcomb’s season-ending knee injury suffered last week against the Tennessee Titans, it appears that fellow inside linebacker Elandon Roberts is trending toward missing this week’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

Roberts was limited in practice on Wednesday with a knee injury, and multiple players confirmed that he was not working with the first team on Thursday.

Mark Robinson is the only other inside linebacker on the Steelers’ 53-man roster, with Tyriq Carpenter and Mykal Walker options to be recalled from the practice squad.

Carpenter confirmed that he worked with the regular units, and not the scout team, on Thursday. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said that Walker did the same on Wednesday.

“We got a chance to see him in there with some regular reps and not card team reps as we were getting used to him,” Austin said. “So, I have a better understanding of him later, but he has been a starter in this league. He makes a lot of tackles and he’s played a lot of football. That’s comforting in that way. How he adapts to our system and the things that we’re doing, that is all a matter of time and how fast a player gets it.”

As Austin said, Walker is the most experienced of the group of backups. Robinson started two games late last season for the Steelers, while Carpenter has been exclusively a reserve since being drafted by the Green Bay Packers last season.

The Steelers have one more practice session on Friday before they will officially declare the injury status of Roberts and others for Sunday’s Packers game. If Walker and/or Carpenter is going to be elevated from the practice squad, it must happen before Saturday afternoon.