Elandon Roberts showing he's not just a run-stuffer anymore

For a sizable portion of the 2017 season, linebacker Elandon Roberts was fundamentally Brandon Spikes, version 2.0. Only without the notable Twitter account.

The University of Houston product was known as an excellent run-stopper and a relatively a solid presence in the middle. The sturdy 5-foot-11, 233-pounder could be counted on to hold up against an opposing running game. In the passing game? Not so much.



But as of late, he’s become a more complete defender. While no one will ever confuse him with Ty Law, these days, it’s clear he can now be trusted to run with backs and tight ends in the passing game. That means he’s been able to stay on the field on a more consistent basis. The last three games, he’s been on the field for more than 50 percent of the snaps. And on Sunday against the Raiders, he was thrown at three times and had one pass completed when he was in coverage. He was conked in the back of the head on one — call it a pass defense by accident — but it all looks the same in the box score.


In all, according to Pro Football Focus, he’s been asked to work in coverage on 107 snaps this year. Ten passes have been completed on him in 13 targets. But when quarterbacks do get the ball to him, the pass-catchers can’t do much with it — he’s allowed just 33 yards after the catch and 84 total receiving yards. It’s one of the best totals for any inside linebacker who has been in coverage for 100 or more snaps this season.

Why the sudden turnaround?

“It’s just it started in practice,” Roberts told BostonSportsJournal.com. “I’ve been working real hard. Just being able to get it all down in practice and have that transfer to the game. Know the game plan. Know what we have to do. Know what you get down when it comes to film study. It all comes into play when you’re talking about coverage.”

The good thing for the Patriots? He didn’t lose his ability to play downhill against the run. Even though there are times where he appears to gamble when it comes to picking the right gap — especially against good running games — he’s still considered one of the best run-stuffers on the roster. Going into last weekend, according to Pro Football Focus, he led the Patriots defense with an 8.1 percent run-stop percentage. He had 12 run stops (plays graded as a “win” for the defense) in 149 snaps against the run, tied for 21st among all linebackers.

That, in concert with his across-the-board improvements in pass defense, has allowed him to earn the trust of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

“Elandon, in particular, is a guy who works very hard at understanding our zone and man coverage concepts and along with the run game,” said Patricia. “(He’s) someone that works really hard to know where his help is in both situations, whether it's leveraging a run play or leveraging a pass play. He's really trying to learn and understand that at a much higher level, which he's really trying to do a good job of.”

“I’m just another guy,” Roberts said. “Whatever coaches need. Whatever my team needs, I’m just going to go hard and do what I have to do. That starts in practice.”

In truth, some of the improvement can be traced back to three things: One, early on, the Patriots were forced to shuffle some personnel at linebacker, particularly because Dont’a Hightower had been in and out of the lineup, and there were a handful of players who hadn’t settled in to a steady role on defense. Two, Roberts battled through an early ankle injury that limited his effectiveness, particularly in the early going. And three, the Patriots also did some experimenting with safety Jordan Richards playing a linebacker-type of role in hopes of him helping out in coverage.

But now, with Hightower done for the year, Kyle Van Noy continuing to show improvement in the middle as the signal-caller, and Roberts asserting himself on more of a regular basis, he looks more and more like a natural fit who is becoming important to the success of the New England front seven. Of course, it’s not the only reason, but it’s not completely coincidental that the evolution of Roberts into a more complete defender has coincided with a recent run of success for the Patriots’ defense.

“It’s been important for me, because whatever the team needs I want to be able to do. Be the best I can for the team,” Roberts said of his growth as a defender this year. “I know that just all starts in practice. That’s why it's important to be able to get my teammates trust and my coaches trust in practice.”

Ultimately, if Roberts can continue to consistently meet that level of trust that the coaches and teammates have placed in him the rest of the way, the days of him being regarded as “just another guy” could be a thing of the past.