6 late round Steelers who will make an impact in the 2021 season

Robert Spillane

For anyone that watched last season, you should know the incredible journey that Robert Spillane has taken to make the roster. A former undrafted castoff, he worked his way through the Steelers practice squad and found himself making the roster for his special teams’ contribution. After Devin Bush was lost for the season last year, Spillane was suddenly thrust into the starting job.

While he had his issues, overall, his play last season was positive. Moving forward though, his role with the team is up in the air. Vince Williams returns and will enter his name into the starting ring. As well, the Steelers drafted the athletic Buddy Johnson with the expectation of him becoming a role player at some point. While his competition is fierce, don’t be surprised to see Spillane get the majority of snaps for at least next season.

Important to remember is that Spillane is surprisingly one of the better coverage linebackers on the team which gives him the versatility to play in sub-packages. While his play last season almost disqualified him from this list, the fact that he isn’t guaranteed a starting spot ultimately earns him a spot this year. Don’t be surprised when Spillane is seeing the majority of the starting snaps at linebacker despite his unusual journey to the roster.