Steelers Seventh-Round Rookie Safety Likely to Make the 2026 53-Man Roster
The Pittsburgh Steelers came away from the 2026 NFL Draft with 10 rookies, more than most teams would consider entering a new league year with. The likelihood that all 10 of these young players will make the active roster is slim to none, and it’s typically not the case where a seventh-round selection taken for one attribute makes that roster, but seventh-round pick Robert Spears-Jennings is trying to do exactly that. The safety out of Oklahoma joins an already crowded safety room in Pittsburgh, but what sets him apart from the rest is his exceptional special teams ability. While a Sooner, Spears-Jennings was a three-unit special-teamer who had 505 snaps across all five special teams’ units while in college. He stands just under six-foot-two, weighs 205 pounds, and ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash, allowing his speed and size to act like a heat-seeking missile on special teams, where Pittsburgh will almost certainly utilize him.
Pittsburgh's new ball-hawking defensive back was one of just three defensive players taken by the Steel City in the 2026 NFL Draft, a move that surprised many black-and-gold fans, who felt the defense in 2025 was disappointing and needed a reshuffle. Thankfully, the Steelers have addressed some of these concerns through free agency, with additions in Sebastian Joseph-Day, Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker. One of the Steelers' biggest defensive weaknesses in 2025 was their secondary. With Dean and Brisker brought in, that should help, but the speed that the rookie provides cannot be overlooked either. While Spears-Jennings may not receive much action on defense, he can provide exceptional versatility and reliability for Pittsburgh’s special teams. Steelers writer Christoper Carter commented on this, saying, “I do think if he makes the roster, it’s because he showed up on punt coverage, on kick coverage, those types of things. If he can show like ‘Hey, I can get down the field quickly. I can beat blocks. I can hold my lane. I can make tackles,’ you do those things, they’ll find a way to keep you around.” Head Coach Mike McCarthy is clearly very excited about the youth presence in the Steel City, and the Oklahoma safety is no exception.
Pass coverage by the safeties was one of the biggest reasons the secondary was weak for Pittsburgh last season. Both Birsker and DeShon Elliott are strong-safety builds who lack true pass coverage ability. The Steelers are aware of the constantly changing NFL trends and that they need to adapt their safety play to those trends, which requires someone with above-average coverage skills. Spears-Jennings could provide the coverage skills needed, simply due to his speed, but he can also work in the box, as Brisker and Elliot do. At this stage, it almost seems like a lock for the rookie to make the 53-man roster, but where he is used remains to be seen. According to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, “He has all the things to be an outstanding special teams guy, and then maybe they can continue to develop him more. He looks good during OTAs. I think that he’s playing his way onto the team, at least the 53-man roster.” Speed can never be overlooked, and as the Sooner's former versatile coverage specialist comes in with a track record of very good special teams play, he should no doubt make the Steelers' roster.
