As dominoes fall on the Steelers’ defense this offseason and he likely ascends to full-time starting linebacker, Robert Spillane is living a glamorous life.
He’s living with his parents in the Chicago suburbs, sleeping on the couch of his childhood home and going to his little brothers’ football games.
“Getting time to spend with them is precious memories I cherish,” Spillane said on a Zoom call Monday morning. “I haven’t seen them play in years because I’ve been in my seasons while they’re playing. Being home for that is special.”
Of course, Spillane wants to make Pittsburgh his home, and he took another step toward that last week when he signed his tender to return to the Steelers as an exclusive rights free agent. Spillane didn't have much of a choice, considering that NFL contract mechanism allows the team to retain him another season for the minimum salary, the same way the Steelers kept Matt Feiler and Mike Hilton around as long as they did.
According to Spillane, he didn’t even know his contract status until after the season. His “free agency” period was “five seconds, in and out.”
“I’m glad to be back in Pittsburgh,” Spillane said. “That’s all I can say about it, really.”
When the Steelers released 10-year veteran Vince Williams earlier this month, it became clear they were trusting Spillane to build on his breakout 2020 campaign. The 6-foot-1, 229-pounder who went undrafted three years ago out of Western Michigan started eight times after Devin Bush went down with a season-ending knee injury. Not counting Week 13 when he got injured himself, Spillane averaged 6.3 tackles per game as a starter, including the wild card playoff loss to Cleveland.
With Bush back and Williams gone next season, Spillane will have to go from replacing Bush to playing next to him. That means doing more of what Williams did, shooting gaps on inside blitzes and helping out against the run alongside Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and company up front.
“Vince is one of the people I very strongly looked up to since Day 1 in Pittsburgh,” Spillane said. “He’s a guy that goes about his business the right way. … We’re going to miss Vince. All that means is it’s time for myself and Devin to step up and be leaders of the position group.”
Spillane supplied some memorable moments upon going from special teams maven to defensive starter five games into the season. There was the goal-line stop on Titans running back Derrick Henry, then a week later a pick-six against the Ravens. But in the postseason, Spillane returned from injured reserve and was a frequent target of the Browns offense.
Baker Mayfield completed 6 of 7 passes for 67 yards with Spillane in coverage, per Football Reference. Spillane was much better in coverage in the regular season, but when it mattered most, there he was on an island against Browns star Jarvis Landry on a pivotal third-and-2 early in the fourth quarter. Landry got open easily, Mayfield found him, and the Browns scored another touchdown three plays later.
“That’s a matchup we’ve won throughout the season many times,” Spillane said Monday, still acutely aware of what went wrong. “People want to look at one play and say that’s the reason we lost, or that it’s a mismatch. It’s not. I had poor technique, where I could’ve put hands on a receiver and I didn't. There’s nothing more to it. It’s not a crazy athleticism [mismatch]. He doesn't have a mismatch in size. There’s nothing there. That’s a minus for me on that play. I know I need to be better, but it’s nothing I can’t get done on a week-to-week basis.”
Clearly, Spillane remains fueled by doubts about his physical abilities. But he added that coach Mike Tomlin told him after the season in his exit interview that underneath coverage is one of his strengths. Spillane wants to prove him right on that and also show that he can rush the passer, considering he only recalls having two assigned blitzes last year.
Half a season isn’t the largest sample size, but the Steelers seem to believe in Spillane. They’re showing that in their actions, but also speaking it into existence.
“Rob’s already a physical head-hunter, an intellectual, smart guy that can play ball,” cornerback Cam Sutton said Monday. “He’s just continued to fine-tune his game. … You’ve seen the success that he’s had. We’re looking for that to continue to build. We’re all excited for that because that’s one of our boys.”
