Player: DB Robert Spears-Jennings
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: With the Steelers officially signing Darnell Savage, rookie Robert Spears-Jennings will have a harder time making the 53-man roster. A sixth-round pick, he would start on the bubble by default. The team has a pretty deep secondary room this year, however, so he could be looking at the practice squad.
Robert Spears-Jennings could be the first Steelers rookie under Omar Khan to be waived in his first season. Or at least be among them, as this will be the hardest rookie class yet to retain wholesale. Injuries have helped a couple of times in the past, and it certainly could help again.
Going into training camp, however, it’s not at all obvious that Spears-Jennings has anything resembling an inside track to a roster spot. In fact, he could be competing with Sebastian Castro and Darnell Savage for one spot. It depends on how many defensive backs the Steelers keep this year—and of course, what he shows in Latrobe.
As is often the case on the back end of the roster, it could come down to what Robert Spears-Jennings shows on special teams. As he discussed after the Steelers first drafted him, that’s a part of the game he’s willing to embrace. But that’s also true of Sebastian Castro, who already did it, to some degree, last year. And Darnell Savage certainly knows at this point in his career where his bread is buttered. At best, he is veteran depth, but that veteran experience counts for something.
Over four years at Oklahoma, Spears-Jennings recorded 178 tackles, 8 for loss, with 5 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions. He wasn’t exactly a ballhawk in college, but he fits the general profile of what the Steelers look for in defensive backs. A good height-weight-speed prospect, he certainly has attributes you want to develop. But you can also do that from the practice squad. If he doesn’t find a niche, particularly on special teams, he could spend a year there.
With the 2026 offseason well underway and many moves made, we have stock to take. Already promising a year of change, the Steelers are shaking things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation has fundamentally changed this football team, including the players on the roster.
After a long season, the Steelers showed the ability to win the division and make the playoffs. But they also showed that their progress was minimal, since they made it no further. Two years in a row, with two different quarterbacks, they went 10-7 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The only differences are that they ended the season on a higher note and won the AFC North. But it didn’t help.