Kwon Alexander sustained a ruptured Achilles during Pittsburgh’s 23-19 win against the Packers on Sunday, meaning the Steelers lost another starting inside linebacker for the season, a source informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Alexander appears to have suffered a noncontact injury in the first quarter that resulted in the rip.
Following the game, coach Mike Tomlin said, “Kwon Alexander has a serious lower-body injury.” “He’s being evaluated but not promising there.”
When Alexander was a player with the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day 2020, he previously tore his Achilles tendon. Nine months after the injury, he began the Saints’ regular season opener and was awarded the Ed Block Courage Award by the club the following year. It’s uncertain whether the same tendon was injured in this instance.
After replacing teammate inside linebacker Cole Holcomb, who sustained a season-ending knee injury against the Tennessee Titans one week before, Alexander was sporting the green dot, which designates the player who interacts with the sideline.
During training camp, Alexander signed a contract with the Steelers, and he has been a pillar of the team’s redesigned linebacker corps. Alexander got the game-winning interception in the end zone against rookie quarterback Will Levis in Pittsburgh’s 20-16 victory against the Titans. Alexander has 41 total tackles this season, five tackles for loss, an interception, one forced fumble, and five tackles for loss.
Elandon Roberts, a second-year linebacker who was restricted in practice during the week due to a knee ailment, and Holcomb, who were both out, got their first prolonged look of the season.
Roberts assumed command of the on-field communications after Alexander was knocked down. Playing 62 plays against the Packers, Roberts—another free agent addition—went 22 snaps beyond his season best against the Houston Texans.
“Elandon has been here the whole time and he’s been a quality contributor the whole time, so I’m not going to pretend like he did something today that he hasn’t been doing,” Tomlin said. “He’s a very seasoned gamer with excellent communication skills. He plays the run game too close to home. We signed him in free agency for those reasons, and he has continuously delivered on them.”
Robinson had two tackles while playing a career-high 40 defensive snaps. This season, he has played four snaps on defense only once, against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Mark went out there, he did his job, he did his job well,” Roberts said. “And now we we’re fixing to go look at film and see what both of us and the defense can get better at going into this stretch.”
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