The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a team that is trying to balance winning now, while also building for the future. In order to do that, bringing in strong draft classes is very important. That was a major key during the 2026 offseason as the Steelers acquired a ton of draft capital and had 12 selections going into the 2026 NFL Draft. Two of those picks were used to maneuver around the draft board, and the franchise wound up selecting 10 players during the event. All 10 made the team, and 11 rookies in total made the roster.
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Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (10) runs the ball as Pittsburgh Steelers safety Robert Spears-Jennings (28) defends during the second half of an NFL game at Acrisure Stadium.
One of the lesser-known rookies coming into the 2026 season was safety Robert Spears-Jennings. He was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the event, and he impressed early on in training camp and throughout the preseason. He got an opportunity early on with DeShon Elliott being placed on Injured Reserve (IR) to begin the season and the team moving on from veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins rather quickly.
Spears-Jennings has played well, and he played 53 percent of the defensive snaps or more from Week 4 through Week 6 after Jenkins was benched and eventually released. Elliott returned for the team's Week 7 game, but he has only played about 33 percent of the snaps while Spears-Jennings' snaps have barely diminished. On a recent episode of Steelers Collective, beat writer Ray Fittipaldo speculated that it may be hard for Elliott to get back onto the field in a solidified role due to how the coaching staff feels about Spears-Jennings.
"They love him," Fittipaldo said. "The way Joe Whitt Jr. was talking about him makes it seem like he is going to be a starter for the rest of the season. He's already like their long-term starter. I think they're looking at him as if he's going to be 2027. But the way he's playing now, I think Elliott's going to have a tough time getting back into the lineup. He called Spears-Jennings a phenomenal player. He said they were lucky to get him where they got him."
Fans have been excited to see Elliott return to the field. He was a pleasant surprise back during the 2024 season as he had one of the best seasons of his career in his first year with the franchise, but he has barely seen the field since then. He hyperextended his knee during the 2025 season which led to a serious hamstring injury and he only played in five games on the season. He just returned in Week 7, and he is having trouble establishing his role within the defense.
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Steelers safety DeShon Elliott lines up in an NFL preseason game in August of 2026.
Elliott has only played about 33 percent of the defensive snaps throughout his first two games back, and that may be a sign of things to come as Fittipaldo seems to believe that the team views Spears-Jennings as a future starter. However, it is also important to mention that Elliott is a better safety when going against the run. In his first two games back, there wasn't a ton of opportunity for the opposing teams to run the football. The New Orleans Saints abandoned the run game after nothing was working, and the Cleveland Browns were down by too much in the second half to run the ball a lot.
Steelers' DeShon Elliott May Continue To See A Decreased Role After The Bye Week
The Steelers are on a bye in Week 9, but the team will return to play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10. The Bengals have not been able to find much success when it comes to running the ball, and the passing offense of Cincinnati is certainly potent. This might mean that this will be more of a game for Spears-Jennings, as Elliott won't be needed much to defend the run.
What do you think about these comments from Fittipaldo? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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