Steelers' Rising Rookie Robert Spears-Jennings Could Make DeShon Elliott's Return A Nightmare

The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed back veteran safety DeShon Elliott to the lineup during the team's Week 7 overseas game against the New Orleans Saints. Elliott missed the first six weeks of the 2026 season due to a hamstring and knee injury, but the fan-favorite safety was able to return before midseason. While Elliott has been one of the better players in the Steelers' secondary since his arrival, his time as a starting safety could be limited. Rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings has really stood out and earned one of the highest ratings across the league.

Elliott has played just about 34% of the defensive snaps since his return to the lineup, while Spears-Jennings has maintained a snap share of around 50%. Elliott could still be in a ramp-up period, as he suffered major injuries back in Week 8 of the 2025 season, and a situation like that takes time to recover from. However, Spears-Jennings poses a real threat to Elliott's future in Pittsburgh.

This could be a problem for Elliott, but for the Steelers, it is a good problem to have. Secondary depth was a huge concern coming into the 2026 season, but that thought has started to fade away. A lot of the Steelers' young defensive backs, such as Spears-Jennings, have really made an impact on this defense. It is very convincing to see Spears-Jennings perform well this early into his NFL career as a seventh-round draft selection. 

Elliott could be reaching the back end of his career at age 29, and it is good to see that Pittsburgh may have found his replacement at such a low cost. Elliott signed a two-year contract with the Steelers in March 2024 before his impressive play earned him another two-year extension before the 2025 season began. Elliott has become a fan-favorite on defense and will surely have more opportunities in 2026 to prove why he earned his starting role, but the impressive play by Spears-Jennings may limit his ceiling. 

During a recent segment on 93.7 The Fan, Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo spoke about Elliott's role after returning from injury and how Spears-Jennings' early impact has complicated the safety room.

"The safety position looks really good right now. DeShon Elliott is going to have a tough time getting back into the lineup," Fittipaldo said. "Spears-Jennings is one of the top-rated safeties, and the coaches have just raved about that kid. We all sat back in the spring and asked why the Steelers did not go out and draft a safety early, but it looks like they got a steal and this guy could be a starter for years to come. We will see how the rest of the season plays out."

With Jaquan Brisker holding down one safety spot, Spears-Jennings and Elliott will likely be rotating and sharing reps at the other safety spot, but the versatility of both players should provide Pittsburgh with a plethora of options. The secondary as a whole has done a great job defending against the run game of opposing offenses, an area in which Elliott and Spears-Jennings are both impactful.

As previously mentioned, having too much talent at one position is never a problem. The Steelers have the ability to rotate different players throughout the lineup, and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham has done an amazing job with this during his first season with the team.

Steelers Must Be Confident In Secondary As Trade Deadline Passes

Pittsburgh did not make any splash moves at the trade deadline, which was unexpected. The team was involved in plenty of rumors leading up to the deadline, with the majority of them being centered around the team trading for a wide receiver or secondary piece. The coaching staff must have a lot of confidence in the current secondary, as it was expected that the team would add another cornerback or safety, but it did not happen. 

It will be interesting to see if this was the correct decision and if the secondary can continue to play at a high level for the rest of the season. 

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