Savvy vets Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb already forging close bond as Steelers’ new ILB duo

Elandon Roberts sees some of himself when he looks at Cole Holcomb and when he hears him.

A pair of football junkies, the two veteran inside linebackers have made for the perfect personality match since joining the Pittsburgh Steelers this spring.

However, enough can be enough when it comes to talkin’ ball.

“Shoot, maybe when we (hang out) together this weekend, I will be like, ‘Cole, let’s talk about, like, I don’t know, golf or something,” Roberts said after the Steelers’ most recent organized team activities session Thursday. “At some point, we kind of have to say, ‘Let’s get off football,’ because I talk about it All. The. Time. So, to hear Cole talk about it All. The. Time. … It’s funny.”

It’s also heartening for the Steelers that the two players brought in to form the center of their defense in 2023 have not only forged such a bond already but also have taken it upon themselves to help serve as the on-field brains for a defense that already is big on veteran leadership.

“I am really excited to go to work with ‘E-Rob,’ and I think we can do some (great things) together,” Holcomb said.

“I’ve known of him, and I had a lot of guys who were teammates with him that I was friends with that all said great things about him. And so far, he’s been everything that I could hope for and more.”

Holcomb is aware that his long locks that flow behind his ears could make him a fan favorite. He offered no plans to shave his trademark mullet.https://t.co/u2mxPTsmmc

— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) March 24, 2023

Roberts, 29, brought 107 regular-season games, 11 postseason games and two Super Bowl rings worth of NFL experience with him to Pittsburgh. Holcomb, who turns 27 next month, has 51 games (including playoffs) and 395 NFL tackles to fall back on. Together, they account for 13 seasons in the league.

It doesn’t take long in talking to them to realize neither player leans on that experience alone. Each still loves to learn.

“I love breaking some film down,” said Holcomb, who spent the past four years with Washington. “That’s when the fun starts, when you start watching film.

“I love learning on the field, and I feel like it’s very easy to. Once you get that rep, then you can go back and see what you were thinking, or maybe what you should have been thinking. ‘What was I thinking right here?’ And then can change, ‘I should have been doing this, I should have been doing that.’”

Roberts, who played four seasons for the New England Patriots and the past three for the Miami Dolphins, said last week: “I am new (to the Steelers), so I come in every day trying to sponge all the knowledge I can get so when I get on the football field, I can be the best product for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

New Steelers ILB Elandon Roberts: “I feel like Pittsburgh is a perfect fit for my style.” pic.twitter.com/qJvazbiFnd

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) March 20, 2023

Roberts (signed to a two-year, $7 million contract) and Holcomb (three years, $18 million) were brought in to replace last season’s pedestrian tandem of Devin Bush and Robert Spillane, who left via free agency.

Holcomb is still recovering from December foot surgery, so most of his time with Roberts at OTAs is not next to him on the field. But Roberts said he feels as if he hears Holcomb’s voice during drills.

“Because I come to the sidelines (and hear Holcomb say), ‘What you see? How do you feel about this? You were out there, how did you do this?’” Roberts said. “We are always picking each other’s brains.

“Cole is a very smart linebacker. He’s a leader. And I feel like the two of us are gonna work well together.”

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