Instead of replacing Devin Bush, Robert Spillane ready to join him in middle of Steelers defense

Jun. 12—The tackle that introduced Robert Spillane to Steeler Nation provided a memory that he has carried well beyond the 2020 season.

It was his head-to-head Week 7 hit that dropped eventual 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry short of the end zone that showed Spillane had the toughness and skill set required to play inside linebacker in the NFL.

The tackle against the Tennessee Titans star runner also had added significance for the former undrafted free agent from Western Michigan.

"That's a play that was special to me, not just because it was a third-down goal-line stop against perhaps the best running back we've seen in the NFL in years," Spillane said this week, "but because Tennessee was the team that released me after my rookie season.

"That being my first career start as an inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, my family rented a bus and came down to Nashville for the game — that brought back a lot of good memories."

The memory, though, was born out of unexpected circumstances. The 6-foot-1, 229-pound Spillane, who spent the 2018 season in Tennessee, was starting against the Titans only because former first-round pick Devin Bush had torn his ACL in the previous game.

This year, with Spillane doing enough in a seven-start audition to retain his spot in the lineup, he will be playing alongside Bush, who is expected to be fully healthy by the start of the season.

"Adding a guy like Devin back onto any team is a major attribute," Spillane said. "He's one of the top inside linebackers in the league. He can rush the passer, play runs downs and also cover people. He's an all-around player, a guy you love to have on your team. He would make any team better."

Spillane, 25, brings another younger option to the Steelers starting lineup in his second full season with the team. He's six years younger than Vince Williams, who was released in the offseason in a salary-reduction move before he returned to the Steelers at a reduced salary on a one-year deal.

The plan is for Williams to share some playing time with Spillane and potentially spell Bush, who didn't come off the field last year before his injury but may need time off as a concession to his knee surgery.

"Having an experienced guy in the room and the linebacking group," is going to help, Bush said. "He's a guy who has a lot of knowledge and experience in the game. He'll be able to develop younger guys like myself to take on bigger roles."

Spillane said playing next to Bush, rather than in place of him, will be an adjustment.

"I didn't get many snaps next to him last year," he said. "We talked this offseason, and our abilities will match up well. We communicate well, and we're good teammates with each other, and I'm very excited to get on the field with him."

So is Bush, who participated in some individual drills during organized team activities but won't be involved in team workouts until training camp as he recovers from his injury.

"It's going to be a fun thing to do, to be able to go out there with Rob," Bush said. "I watched him a lot last year, I liked his game lot, and I've been a fan of him when I've seen him play the position. I expect Rob to take up where he left off last year and for us to feed off each other."

After Bush's injury, Spillane started the next seven games before he also injured his knee. It came in December against Washington, which was the Steelers' first loss after an 11-0 start. Spillane missed the final four games of the regular season, then returned to lead the Steelers with nine tackles in the 48-37 loss to Cleveland in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Williams also spent two games late in the season on the reserve/covid-19 list, leaving the Steelers without their three top options at inside linebacker. It left the position to the likes of Avery Williamson, acquired in a midseason trade, and converted safety Marcus Allen.

With the middle of the defense in so much flux, the Steelers surrendered at least 100 yards rushing in each of the final four games, and the Browns tacked on 127 in the wild-card game.

"We had to bring in guys that didn't understand the playbook as well, and teams attack that. They attacked those guys," safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said.

Circumstances will be different with a healthy Bush and Spillane back on the field. The Steelers also added rookie Buddy Johnson in the fourth round to provide depth along with Williams.

For the season, Spillane had 45 tackles, two sacks and an interception return for a touchdown at Baltimore. His sample size at the position consisted of 377 snaps, and he'll be asked to double his workload if he is going to start a full season for the first time in his NFL career.

Based on the way Spillane didn't hesitate to take on Henry at the goal line in Week 7, defensive coordinator Keith Butler thinks he is up for the challenge.

"You watch Derrick Henry run all year long, and who do you see jacking him up?" Butler said in January. "Spillane did that, and I didn't see a whole lot of people doing that to that guy."

In his exit meeting, Spillane said coach Mike Tomlin was impressed by his "underneath coverage" and "hug blitzing."

"He said those are two thing you do well that I want you to continue focusing on doing even better next season," Spillane said. "I look to continue to take where I left off last season. I want to show I can be a pass-rusher, a viable blitzer and get home to the quarterback in rush and coverage downs and also be a cover player."

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .