Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Robert Spillane has been a coach's favorite since he arrived to town in 2019. Undrafted in 2018, he's carved out a legitimate NFL career for himself through hard work. The coaches love his old school-like physicality, something that is harder to find nowadays. In the Week 16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Spillane played all 53 of the team's defensive snaps.
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It's the second consecutive week in which he's played 100% of the snaps. Spillane also continues to be a special teams contributor, racking up 19 snaps there in the past two games. He's become Head Coach Mike Tomlin's Swiss Army knife if you will. When asked about Spillane's recent uptick in playing time, Tomlin had this to say on the five-year veteran linebacker in his weekly press conference:
"We just like what Rob has been doing. He plays physical. Rob is a guy that has been in continual growth since he's been here," Tomlin said about Spillane on Tuesday. "Coming in as an undrafted guy and practice squader working his way through. [He's] almost an every down defender [now]. I just think what you're seeing is the maturation of growth process of a quality professional. No different than Alex Highsmith for example."
Spillane has now spent four seasons in Pittsburgh, starting 14 of his 48 games played. Before the season, his role seemed to be what it's been the past few seasons: a primary backup and spot starter when injuries take place. Myles Jack has had his fair share of injuries this season, which has helped Spillane see the field a bit more. Additionally, Devin Bush hasn't taken the step forward that many had hoped he would under linebackers coach, Brian Flores.
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As a result, Bush has seemingly been completely overtaken by Spillane as the starting inside linebacker alongside Jack (when he's healthy). Now this position remains a need for the franchise moving forward, as Bush seems likely to move on after this season. While Spillane is a solid player, he shouldn't be starting every game. Pro Football Focus has Spillane ranked 63rd (56.0 grade) amongst 85 qualifying linebackers in 2022.
While he is rated slightly ahead of Jack, Bush has actually graded as the Steelers' best ILB this season. Jack hasn't lived up to the hype of his two-year, $16 million contract that he signed last off-season either. General manager, Omar Khan will likely search free agency again this upcoming off-season for another middle linebacker. The draft could be an option as well, but the black and gold have several other needs that they need to address first.
Should the Steelers address ILB in the 2022 NFL Draft? What are your thoughts on Spillane's play this season? If Bush is gone, should Spillane be a starter in 2023 alongside Jack? Share your thoughts in the comments below, yinz!
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