Can the Steelers Solve Their ILB Problems? (+)

It is no secret. The Steelers’ inside linebackers, aside from Myles Jack, have not exactly been the most encouraging thing about their preseason thus far. A lack of splash plays from Devin Bush has raised the alarm bells on him. Robert Spillane has given the Steelers some solid play, but nothing exceptional to this point. Last year, the void was addressed by getting Joe Schobert. Before, it was Mark Barron who was the answer. The Steelers have yet to get the true answer just yet at inside linebacker. So, what are some solutions for Pittsburgh?

Solution 1: Devin Bush or Robert Spillane

The first of the internal options are to stick with the guys who have been competing for the spot beside Jack all along. There is some optimism that maybe Bush can turn this thing around. It is hard to truly imagine that after seeing him in training camp and the first few preseason games. Bush looks fine, but he never creates many splash plays, and that is the concerning part. Inside linebacker should be a position where the splash plays come naturally. For Bush, that has not been the case. However, maybe the jump comes in the regular season.

For Spillane, he is a high-level run defender who plays with a downhill mentality. The issue? His coverage ability. Spillane has yet to truly blossom in coverage. As a spot drop zone defender, he can function fine, but so can Bush at that stage. The Steelers ask a lot of their inside linebackers in coverage, and Spillane has not lived up to that billing just yet. Teams expose him too much, and that makes him start dangerous.

There is also the route that maybe there is some sort of rotation between the two players. Still, it is a shaky proposition right out of the gate. Neither has taken the grip of the position like the Steelers probably wanted to see, so that leaves this open-ended.