The Steelers have a number of linebackers fighting for the same role. Here’s who could earn the most playing time alongside Devin Bush.
Steelers linebacker, Devin Bush, has shown a lot of promise early in his NFL career. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old suffered a major setback in 2020 as his season was lost after just 5 games due to an ACL tear. Pittsburgh didn’t trade up to the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft for nothing, and they clearly have high hopes for Bush.
While it’s no secret that Bush will be manning the ‘Mack’ linebacker role for the foreseeable future, Pittsburgh is going to be looking for the next man they can pair with him in a starting role as the ‘Buck’ long-term. This is a role that has been largely occupied by Vince Williams since joining the league back in 2013.
Though Williams has been a very good player in his time with his ability to blitz and play the run, he has become very one-dimensional in his old age and is coming off his worst-graded season since his rookie year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Now at age 31, Williams is clearly a liability in pass coverage. Though the veteran linebacker managed to play 65 percent of snaps last season, according to Pro Football Reference, this was largely because the Steelers had virtually no depth last year when Bush was on Injured Reserve. In 2019 with Bush and Mark Barron on the field, Williams played just 37 percent of defensive snaps.
Obviously, we know that Vince Williams is not the future of this team at linebacker, but the Steelers are still searching for that player who can really step up as a starter opposite of Devin Bush. Here is each candidate that will have a chance to this guy for the team in the future:
Robert Spillane
At the start of the 2020 season, most fans didn’t even know who Robert Spillane was. Pittsburgh went into the season with very little depth at the linebacker position, and Spillane – a former undrafted free agent – was the best option they had.
Surprisingly, Spillane filled in quite nicely last season. After playing just 8 total defensive snaps through the first four games, Spillane saw that number rise drastically after Bush’s injury. In his first start against the Tennessee Titans (the team that he spent some time with after going undrafted in 2018), Spillane exploded onto the NFL scene.
He made his presence felt against the Titans when he took cracked Derrick Henry at the goal-line to help prevent the touchdown (with some assistance from T.J. Watt, of course). The following game against the Ravens, Spillane returned a Lamar Jackson interception for a touchdown. However, late in the season, Spillane came back down to earth, and he was picked on in the playoffs over the middle of the field.
Of the group of linebackers this year, Spillane is probably the best bet to see the most snaps alongside Devin Bush, as he showed the ability to operate in every-down work. While he’s better in coverage than Williams, Spillane is still a super athlete that doesn’t have a lot of long-term upside at the position.
Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen has done very little on the defensive side of the football since joining the team as a fifth-round pick back in 2018. The Penn State product played a hybrid linebacker/safety role in his first season with the Steelers but has since switched to a full-time linebacker.
Allen is a tough projection, and to be honest, he’s not a 100 percent lock to make the roster this year. In fact, Pittsburgh has already cut him in the past and added him as a practice squad player. Apparently, Allen has been working very hard this offseason, and he appears to be in incredible shape. The once long and thin linebacker added a noticeable amount of muscle to his frame, and he knows there could be snaps up for grabs at linebacker this year.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I would give Allen much of a chance, if any, to man a full-time role across from Devin Bush in Pittsburgh’s defense. Despite his added weight, Allen isn’t the type of linebacker tho is going to be able to hold up at the point of attack, and they could use a player who can go downhill and take on a guard if need be. In addition, Allen is only under contract for the 2021 season, and with just 2 starts and dressing for 17 games in 3 years, he isn’t likely to be to become a long-term starter for the Steelers anytime soon.
Ulysees Gilbert
Despite being just a sixth-round draft choice, every fan seemed to be high on Ulysees Gilbert coming out of the NFL Draft. While he played for a small football program in college, the Akron linebacker was extremely productive and his athletic traits were certainly intriguing.
At his 2019 Pro Day, Gilbert was recorded running a 4.46 40-yard dash in addition to his 39.5” vertical, 10’6” broad jump, 6.94 3-cone, and 20 bench reps. These metrics certainly got fans excited, and he didn’t disappoint in his first NFL preseason, as he graded out as one of the best linebackers in the league during the exhibition period.
Sadly, injuries have been the story of his career so far for the Steelers. Since joining the league in 2019, Gilbert has had each of his first two seasons end with him being placed on Injured Reserve. As a result, the talented linebacker has dressed for just 11 games in his career so far and earned his first 33 defensive snaps of his career in 2020.
Now finally healthy, Gilbert will look to become the player the Steelers were hoping he would be. At 6’0” and 230 pounds, Gilbert has solid size for the position and clearly plenty of athletic upside. His likelihood of becoming the starting linebacker alongside Devin Bush is tied to the opportunities he will get. Gilbert is probably better suited as a backup ‘Mack’ linebacker to Bush, but this is a possibility.
Buddy Johnson
I’ve got to be honest, I don’t love most of Buddy Johnson’s tape from Texas A&M. Though he shows flashes, he often seems like he’s a step late to the play and almost even confused at times. This is a bit concerning. However, depending on what game you watch, Johnson can look very good.
It’s certainly not hard to see why the Steelers were attracted to him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. In addition to having quality size at roughly 6′ 1/2” and 240 pounds, Johnson tested as a phenomenal athlete at the linebacker position. At his Texas A&M Pro Day, Johnson earned a 4.58 40-yard dash, 38.5” vertical, 10’8” broad jump, a lightning-fast 4.07 20-yard shuttle.
This sideline-to-sideline speed and explosion can be seen on tape, but it’s not always utilized. Johnson has been mostly healthy throughout his college career and was a productive player as a starter for the Aggies in 2019 and 2020 – combining for 162 tackles, 17.0 tackles for a loss, 5.0 sacks, and 1 interception over his last 23 games, according to Pro Football Reference.
Of this linebacker group for the Steelers, Johnson will be the rawest without a doubt. However, he might be the best fit as the ‘Buck’ linebacker for Pittsburgh with his size, tackling ability, and physicality downhill.
Which Steelers LB will win the starting role in the future?
For the 2021 season, the mostly outcome is for the Steelers to deploy a combination of Vince Williams and Robert Spillane opposite of Devin Bush for base and nickel packages in Pittsburgh’s defense with Gilbert and Allen occasionally spelling Bush of some snaps. It’s likely that Williams will be used primarily as an early-down linebacker as a run defender and blizter, whereas Spillane will be used more in true pass sets.
However, this is really going to change after the 2021 season. After this coming season, Spillane, Williams, and Allen are all unrestricted free agents, and Williams may opt to retire. In addition, Gilbert will have just one year remaining on his rookie deal, and he still needs to show that he can stay healthy.
Barring the Steelers using a high draft choice at this position next April, I think it’s very likely that Johnson will be given the chance to solidify himself as the starting ‘Buck’ linebacker next to Devin Bush. He has the desired size and athletic traits, and the timing works in his favor as three Steelers linebackers are set to be free agents after the 2021 season.
Obviously, we still need time to see how all of this is going to play out down the road, and training camp will give us a clearer depiction of what the Steelers think of each player. All of these Pittsburgh linebackers bring something different to the table, but if all goes well, it could be the rookie who earns a true starting gig in the not-too-distant future.