Free agent Robert Spillane loves playing for Steelers, wants chance to play every down

Robert Spillane uses a creative metaphor to describe the feeling a professional football player endures at the sudden end of a season.

“I’ve tried to describe this to lots of people,” Spillane said the day after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ recent season ended, “and the best way I can is to say it’s like a shedding of the skin.”

Lurking mostly hidden over most of the past four years since he joined the Steelers, Spillane suddenly emerged as one of the defense’s most indispensable players at linebacker down the stretch. His contributions coincided with a four-game winning streak and some of the best defense the Steelers played all season.

Counting a November game in which he also did not leave the field, the Steelers went 5-0 when Spillane played 100% of the defensive snaps.

“I’ve always felt like I could play three downs in this league,” Spillane said, “and (while doing that) be a good player and help win games. And that’s what this all comes down to: winning these games. I love going out there with my teammates and having those opportunities to do that.”

Steelers ILB Robert Spillane on being a free agent this spring pic.twitter.com/fOhZsiusXV

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) January 9, 2023

Spillane never had been an everydown player in the NFL until late this past season. When the season began, he was the Steelers’ third inside linebacker, playing fewer than 35% of the defensive snaps over the first five games.

Injuries to Myles Jack and the ineffectiveness of Devin Bush contributed to increased opportunities for Spillane, a former undrafted player who was cut four times over the first two years he joined the NFL in 2018. Spillane had only 11 starts before November 2022.

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“He’s gotten an opportunity to play more plays, and he’s really taken advantage of it,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said in December. “He deserves every rep he’s getting.”

But will those reps come in black and gold? He’s an unrestricted free agent. With Bush also a free agent, Jack a candidate to be released for salary-cap relief and rookie Mark Robinson perhaps not ready to take on an increased role, the Steelers likely have interest in bringing Spillane back.

Spillane last month referenced the shedding-of-the-skin analogy in declining to speculate on his future. But he did express interest in remaining with the organization.

“Going forward, I want to be a Steeler,” Spillane said. “I want to be a three-down linebacker here. So we will see what happens.”

In a turn of events for Robert Spillane, who had started just 12 of 46 career games with the #Steelers until he got the call against the #Panthers and again vs. the #Raiders. He made his third start in a row Sunday in the Steelers 16-13 win vs. #Ravenshttps://t.co/QXRT2DB81L

— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) January 2, 2023

It will be interesting to see how the Steelers view the “three-down linebacker” portion of Spillane’s self-assessment.

The 6-foot-1, 229-pound Spillane has a reputation of being a good run-stuffer with questionable abilities to keep up in coverage. It should be noted, though, that the Steelers at some points have turned specifically to Spillane in coverage situations.

However, based off Pro Football Focus grades, in 2022 Spillane played as advertised. PFF graded Spillane the fifth-best among the Steelers’ 32 defenders against the run but only 22nd among 25 who were asked to play in coverage. Among 90 qualifying ILBs across the league, Spillane graded among the top quarter in run defense and among the top third in tackling … but he was seventh-worst in coverage.

Regardless of how the Steelers view Spillane’s abilities in covering opposing receivers, he did show value as a No. 2 or No. 3 inside linebacker. That implies a contract extension is possible, something Spillane would be pleased with.

“I love this organization. I’ve loved being here from the second I got here,” he said. “I’ve poured my heart into everything that I do here. I love the teammates. I love the coaches. It’s been a blessing. I’ve never taken it for granted, and if I’m given the opportunity to come back, that’d be something that’s special. Pittsburgh is something that will always be special to me regardless.”

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