After Devin Bush went down with a season ending ACL tear, the Steelers were forced to turn to a relative unknown at the thin Mack linebacker position, elevating Robert Spillane, a special teamer with just eight prior NFL tackles to his credit, into a full time starting role. Over his next seven starts before going down with a knee injury of his own, Spillane helped steady the defense, compiling 45 tackles, 4 tackles for losses, 2 sacks, a fumble recovery, four passes defended, and one interception which he took back 33 yards for six.
Entering his 2021 campaign, with an inside linebacker core which returns an every down starter in Devin Bush, a long time stalwart in Vince Williams, a talented rookie in Buddy Johnson, a project in Marcus Allen, and an often injured yet talented option in UG3, many might question where Spillane fits into the rotation.