Robert Spillane isn't the all-around linebacker that will dominate the middle of the field for the Steelers.
But that doesn't mean he wouldn't be an asset to the defense, as he does bring decent underneath coverage skills in a passing era of the NFL that features plenty of shorter passing concepts. He has his limitations, but using him in different packages would still give the Steelers answers in coverage.
Mike Tomlin, Keith Butler and Jerry Olsavsky just need to find ways to include Spillane that won't expose the middle of the field with teams picking at his weaknesses.
In last week's Carter's Classroom I detailed some of those weaknesses from Spillane, specifically his weaknesses in run defense. I advocated in my analysis that it would behoove the Steelers to draft an inside linebacker who was proficient against the run and pass to double-up on Devin Bush's skills and lockdown the middle of the defense. And I still see that as a priority that should be high on Kevin Colbert's list.
But when I asked Spillane about how he's working on those weaknesses during the offseason during his Monday press availability, his answer wasn't what I expected.
"Coach Tomlin said in our postseason meeting that underneath coverage and hug blitzing were two of my best attributes as a player," Spillane said. "So instead of focusing on the run game, he said, 'I want you to excel even stronger in your best abilities.' He told me to not just focus on my weaknesses, but also focus on my strengths because those are the positions that 'we want you in, we put you in and expect you to win.' He told me, 'we're not going to try to put you in something you can't do. We want you to do underneath coverage and hug blitz.' Those are two things I've continued to work on to be better at."
Many times a player will either brush off a question about their weaknesses or go into what those weaknesses are and how they plan to pick at them. But that's not at all what Spillane did, nor what Tomlin wants him to do.
And when I looked back at his film, it made sense.
Spillane isn't the thumper style of linebacker Vince Williams made his career out to be over eight years with the Steelers. He's quicker, rangier and better working in space against the pass. It's a trade-off the Steelers seem ready to accept after cutting Williams on Mar. 16 and signed Spillane on Mar. 24. A move that was done mainly for the $4M the team saved against the salary cap by letting go of Williams.
Spillane isn't going to become a consistent run stuffer, and I don't see the Steelers trying to transform him. Instead, they can use his cover skills the way they tried to use Marcus Allen when they asked him to adjust from safety to play more linebacker as the team lost several linebackers to injury in 2020.
Spillane's coverage numbers aren't bad in the least. He allowed 23 catches on 35 targets for 207 yards across 200 snaps in coverage in the 12 games he played in 2020. He also had an interception returned for a touchdown and two passes broken up.
You can see how comfortable he was when dropping back into an underneath zone when he took Lamar Jackson's bad pass to the end zone. He backpedaled to his spot, read Jackson's eyes and quickly broke on the pass, making it look very natural:
Spillane's quickness in space was his asset in 2020 and quarterbacks weren't aware of it before he showed it in his early starts of the season.
His ability to quickly change direction with solid footwork help him keep up with the quick cuts that often challenge linebackers in underneath coverage.
Watch this play when he had man-to-man coverage on J.K. Dobbins during an in-and-out rote on third down. Dobbins' first cut in forces Spillane to be more aggressive with his inside leverage that he must maintain because of his man coverage assignment. Dobbins' break outside should make him wide open, but Spillane did a good job anticipating the cut and jumped it in time to break up the pass:
He found a comfort zone there for most of the season.
"Coach Tomlin does a really great job highlighting his players strengths and minimizing our exposure to weakness," Spillane said. "He likes guys doing certain things and we'll see how that progresses during the offseason, training camp and into the regular season. I'm looking forward to do whatever I need to do."
Of course, a quote like that begs the question, 'is it a great job minimizing exposure to weakness if linebackers get matched up with receivers?'
And it's a reasonable one. It's a problem that faces many NFL teams and the Steelers are no stranger to the issue.
Here's an example where that hurt the Steelers in the playoffs. Spillane lined up in the middle of the field, but the Browns motioned out their running backs into a spread formation, which got him matched up with Jarvis Landry over the middle. The result was Landry eating up Spillane for 14 yards:
Spillane says that was a matchup he still should've won.
"That's a matchup we've won throughout the season many times," Spillane said when asked about that play. "People want to look at that we lost and say it's a mismatch, but it's not. I had poor technique where I should've put my hands on the receiver and I didn't. There's nothing more to it. It's not a crazy athleticism matchup. He doesn't have a mismatch on size, there's nothing there. It's a minus for me on the play and I know I need to be better."
"It's nothing I can't get done on a week-to-week basis," Spillane continued. "I'm looking forward to coming back and showing that underneath coverage is one of my best abilities and like Tomlin said, 'you got to win when you're put in those positions.' I'm looking forward to prove people I can cover receivers all over the field."
OK, let's get one thing straight: Spillane is not going to cover receivers all over the field. It's good that he has confidence in his coverage skills and that he recognizes jamming Landry in that situation would've helped, but that's still not a spot an undrafted linebacker should be expected to shut down a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
But it's also not as simple as snapping your fingers to get rid of that problem. The reason Spillane got stuck out there is because the Browns kept coming out and abusing the Steelers' run defense with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. The Steelers couldn't remove one of their only linebackers that were available, and once the Browns cleared out the backfield to a spread formation he was stuck in that spot.
And because the Steelers were without any other proficient cover linebacker with experience, it was difficult to plan around assigning a safety to come up and help Spillane in that situation. They would've also had to do the same for Avery Williamson on the other side of the defense, who was even less solid in coverage than Spillane.
But with Bush back in the fold, that wouldn't be nearly as much an issue. He's much more athletic in space and can run with faster NFL players. Lining Spillane up next to Bush would allow the Steelers to use Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds or a slot cornerback to help Spillane in that situation without fear of also exposing the other linebacker, because Bush will be expected to win more matchups.
Here's an example when Fitzpatrick showed he could do that even when it was to help Cam Sutton. Terry McLaurin got the jump on Sutton on a drag route because he's one of the NFL's most explosive younger receivers. That didn't stop Fitzpatrick from jumping on the drag route and breaking up the pass:
Imagine doing that to help Spillane out.
Not only would Spillane know he has backup, but it would allow him to play leverage one side in coverage more aggressively, knowing that he has help to come to the other side.
And again, the Steelers still could help themselves immensely by adding another athletic linebacker to the depth chart who could be trusted more in those situations and be better than Spillane against the run. It would also allow the Steelers to pair with that young linebacker and still have two decent cover options if Bush were to be injured again.
If Spillane has to be a starter next season, the Steelers can still plan around him so long as Bush is the starter next to him. But his sweet spot on the roster might be as the sub-package linebacker who gives Bush and another starter a breather, especially on third-and-long situations where his underneath coverage skills would fit best.
Doing so would allow him to maximize the skills Tomlin told him to improve, and limit the team's exposure to the weaknesses that come with his game.
• You can also read my story on how Spillane sees replacing Williams' energy and leadership as a tough challenge by clicking here.
