Steelers Rookie Robert Spears-Jennings Uncovered His Secret To Success In Week 4

Despite the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers lost in Week 4, there was clearly some growth made. The biggest improvement was the addition of seventh-round rookie Robert Spears-Jennings, who took over at free safety in nickel packages after Rayshawn Jenkins was benched. Even with how late he was drafted, he has done nothing but show off his talents while proving many of his supposed weaknesses from his draft profile wrong. If he keeps developing like he has been, the safety will end up becoming a long-term starter for the team. 

That game against the Cleveland Browns was the first time Spears-Jennings got to show out, and more is expected to come from him. During an interview with Post-Gazette Sports, he refused to take any credit for his successful performance. He spoke about why he believes he played so well.

"I feel like I did a good job," Spears-Jennings said. "I feel like the guys trusted me, and I just made the opportunity to make the lay-ups."

It's definitely hard to have total confidence in a team with a seventh-round rookie is playing a very key role on the backend, but the defense worked with what it had, and it led to more success in the second half. The Steelers only allowed six points after halftime; in part due to the performance of Spears-Jennings. If everyone trusted him against the Browns, there should be no issues in that area moving forward at all.

In fact, the main reason Spears-Jennings was given a chance in the first place was due to the lack of trust that the unit may have had in Jenkins. The Steelers were running a Cover 2 zone scheme, but the veteran clearly did not get the memo. He abandoned his position and hung cornerback Daylen Everette out to dry, which led to the Browns completing a 60-yard pass with the receiver being wide open on the bust. 

While miscommunication issues were a problem defensively in recent years, this does not appear to be the case with the coaching staff overall. Spears-Jennings stepped right in and understood what was going on, which helped him quickly earn the trust of his teammates. It's easy to believe in someone who is where he needs to be, and has a strong knowledge of the defensive playbook.

When he was on the field, it felt like Spears-Jennings had a nose for the ball. He was second on the team in tackles despite his limited play in the first half, with all but one of them being solo. He also recorded two passes defended and his first career interception to help swing momentum back in the Steelers' favor. Even when DeShon Elliott returns from injury, it will be tough to keep the rookie off the field for long.

Steelers Are Being Forced To Rely On Spears-Jennings

As nice as it is to have Spears-Jennings on the field, the fact that the Steelers really need him is a problem. There was the aforementioned injury to Elliott and rough play from Jenkins that forced this to happen. The problem here is the severe lack of depth at the position, especially since Jalen Ramsey is playing his own spot with the coaches not wanting to move him off of the "star" role.

Not only is Spears-Jennings playing great, but the Steelers need him to be playing great so they can stop getting exposed in the secondary like they did in Weeks 3 and 4. With improved safety play, the coaches will hopefully have more trust in the cornerbacks to play aggressive, as opposed to running soft zone schemes that most quarterbacks would have success against.

What do you think about the defense trusting Spears-Jennings to do what he needs to do? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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