Keith Butler On Why Robert Spillane Is Playing In Some Dime Packages

Over the last two weeks, Robert Spillane has seen an increased role in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense. Not just because of injury, though he replaced Devin Bush in Week 5, but he’s carved out a role in some Steelers’ dime packages. Over the last two games, he’s logged 19 snaps in the Steelers’ dime defense. Most of that has been in the team’s new 1-4-6 defense, Spillane as the lone off-ball linebacker with three outside linebackers on the field: TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Melvin Ingram. But he even picked up two snaps in the team’s 2-3-6 dime defense in Sunday’s win over Seattle.