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90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Benny Snell Jr., Robert Spillane, Donovan Stiner

By Dave Bryan

Posted on July 16, 2021 at 11:30 am

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2021 offseason practices have long since concluded. Next up for the team is their annual training camp, which should get underway in the latter part of July. Ahead of training camp, we will preview the team’s 90-man roster three players at a time for you as part of a 30-post series. This Steelers 90-man roster preview that includes outlooks for each player goes alphabetically by last name to make it easy to follow along with.

The next three players we will preview today are Benny Snell Jr., Robert Spillane, and Donovan Stiner.

RB Benny Snell Jr. — Snell’s second season in the NFL with the Steelers included the former fourth-round draft pick out of Kentucky registering 111 carries for 368 yards and four touchdowns. Snell also logged 10 receptions for another 61 yards in the 281 total offensive snaps that played during the 2020 regular season. On top of that offensive playing time that Snell received in 2020, he also logged 198 total special teams snaps. He had five total tackles on special teams in 2020 and also recovered a fumble. Overall, Snell’s play was average in 2020 just like all of the other running backs used by the Steelers in 2020.

Outlook: Snell will be battling for one of three or four running back spots this summer and essentially for the right to backup rookie running back Najee Harris, the team’s first-round draft pick this year. Snell’s immediate competition for a 2021 roster spot this summer includes Anthony McFarland Jr., Jaylen Samuels, and newcomer Kalen Ballage. Snell is a willing and able special teams player and with 2021 being the running backs third year in Pittsburgh, he should have a better than average chance of sticking on the roster again this season and dressing weekly for games as either the second or third string running back behind Harris. assuming Snell does stick on the roster again this season, he might be hard pressed to see 100 touches as long as long as Harris stays healthy.

ILB Robert Spillane — Spillane made the Steelers roster in 2020 as a backup behind starting inside linebackers Devin Bush and Vince Williams and that meant the plan for him was to mostly contribute on special teams. When Bush was lost for the season in Week 6 to a knee injury, Spillane was jettisoned into the starting lineup, and he even was the defensive quarterback for several games until a knee injury of his own in Week 13 forced him to the team’s Reserve/Injured list for the final three regular season games. While Spillane did return for the Steelers’ Super Wild Card game, he was very ineffective in that contest and played poorly. He ended the regular season with 43 total tackles on defense and two sacks. He was credited with four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, four passes defensed, a fumble recovery and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown. Spillane also had two total special teams tackles on the season. He played 377 total defensive snaps during the regular season and 153 more on special teams. In the Steelers’ lone playoff game, Spillane played another 59 defensive snaps and 12 others on special teams. He registered nine total tackles in that contest.

Outlook: The summer outlook for Spillane begins with him needing to compete for the right to be the Steelers’ other starting inside linebacker beside Bush. Competing against Spillane for that job figures to be veteran Vince Williams and maybe even third-year player Ulysees Gilbert III if he stays healthy. If Spillane ultimately wins that other staring spot this summer, and he has decent shot at doing so, he will obviously then be expected to play quite extensively in 2021. If, however, Spillane fails to win the starting spot beside Bush, he will likely enter the regular season as the top inside linebacker backup. He’ll also likely be asked to play quite extensively on special teams in 2021 as he is an above average player in that phase of the game.

S Donovan Stiner — Stiner, one of the Steelers’ higher-priority undrafted free agent signings this offseason, played his college football at Florida. The safety finished his college career with 145 total tackles and six interceptions in playing in 41 games played. At his Pro Day, Stiner measured in at 6014, 205 pounds. He reportedly ran his 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds and did 15 reps on the bench.

Outlook: Stiner will be battling for a backup safety spot during training camp and the preseason. While he is versatile safety, Stiner might be better suited to player closer to the line of scrimmage than deep. His best shot at making the 53-man roster in the coming weeks likely revolves around him being top-notch special teams contributor and one that can play on all four units. The best bet when it comes to Stiner’s future come the start of the regular season is that he lands on the Steelers practice squad. That would give him a chance to develop for a full season.

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