Pittsburgh has had some impressive performances at Steelers training camp, but here are four players we should be a little concerned with.
Everyone looks like a star at training camp… or at least that’s what many in the media will try to tell you. Observing Steelers training camp practices first-hand, I can tell you for certain that this isn’t the case.
While I’m not suggesting we should read too deeply into some of the poor performances at camp this year, they are certainly still worth mentioning to the readers who are looking to see the whole picture. Here are four players we have ample reason to be concerned about based on their performances at Steelers training camp so far:
LB Robert Spillane
When Robert Spillane first filled in for Devin Bush after his ACL tear in 2020, Spillane’s popularity spiked. He played quite well in his first two games in essentially a full-time role after being a practice squad player prior to last year. However, Spillane’s weaknesses were really exposed in the second half of the season.
In addition to lacking any defining areas where he excels, Spillane is also a terrible athlete who tested in the 19th percentile coming out of Western Michigan, according to Relative Athletic Score. This lack of speed and athleticism is on display often at camp.
In coverage drills, Spillane has struggled all training camp, and he’s been humiliated when matched up against a good running back like Najee Harris. Fortunately, the Steelers recently upgrade the linebacker position after trading for Joe Schobert and Spillane will now take a backseat – likely working as the first linebacker off the bench. However, if an injury occurs to Bush or Shobert, we are back to square one.