Robert Spears-Jennings
If Robert Spears-Jennings needs veteran testimony to make the 53-man roster, Elandon Roberts just provided it for him. The rookie seventh-round safety has been very active this offseason, especially in training camp and in the preseason. Due to injuries, he has logged a lot of snaps with first-team units, but played extensively in the Steelers’ preseason finale, as well.
That included a lot of reps with Roberts, an 11th-year veteran who wanted to play last night to iron some things out before the start of the regular season, having just signed with the team recently. Asked which young player impressed him, he had no hesitation—but some difficulty—saying Robert Spears-Jennings. He might still be learning his name, but he knows the young man’s game.
“He’s impressed me, man”, Roberts told Missi Matthews after the game on KDKA. “Just how he communicates. Because I’ve been going with a lot of younger guys since I’ve been back, and I’ve been hitting a few ‘older guy’ moments. But for him to be so young and how he’s communicating with me—I turn around like, ‘Hey, what’s this?’ [and] he communicates with me, gets it right to me”.
What impressed Roberts even more about Spears-Jennings, though, is what he did next. Rather than just defer to the veteran, he spoke up and let Roberts know what he needed from him. “It’s kind of funny, but he’s mature enough to come up to me and be like, ‘Hey, when you’re doing this, can you do that, because I’m trying to…’”, he said.
“I’m like, ‘Okay, okay young buck’. But I appreciate that, because … as a safety, he has to hear that call. So he has to come communicate to me that he’s not getting it. I feel like that was great. It showed maturity, and we need that”.
It’s remains to be seen how many true safeties the Steelers keep on their 53-man roster, and it appears likely they will carry four quarterbacks and six wide receivers. Many have gravitated to the safety position as a source to harvest an extra roster spot, but both Robert Spears-Jennings and Rayshawn Jenkins have arguably been among the team’s 53 best players. Jalen Ramsey’s versatility gives them some wiggle room, however, that they might lack at other positions.
Upon the conclusion of the preseason, though, I can’t see Spears-Jennings not making the team. He has played a lot of snaps, and a lot of good snaps. And if he can impress a veteran like Elandon Roberts with how he handles his responsibilities, that’s high praise. He might not be next in line to start in the event of an injury, but he has potential. And he can hit.
EZ of Spears-Jennings hit #Steelers pic.twitter.com/afFe3vTj48
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 22, 2026
He’s certainly shown the Steelers the qualities that they saw in him when they drafted him. Yes, that has included some moments where he exhibited his stiff hips, particularly last night. But as one of the final players on the 53-man roster and a likely special teams contributor, it’s hard to find fault with him.