Spillane set to build on breakout season in second year with Raiders

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, June 7, 2024 | 2 a.m.

In his first career NFL start four years ago, then-Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane halted freight-train then-Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry with a goal line hit that went viral in NFL circles.

Despite having since established himself as a proven veteran and captain of the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense, Spillane still gets asked about the touchdown-denying stuff he made on the league’s most feared running back — even from his own coaches.

The hit was one of the first things new Raiders linebackers coach Mike Caldwell mentioned when he met with Spillane this spring upon taking the job on coach Antonio Pierce’s new staff.

“I told him….‘It made me know your name,’” Caldwell said. “And I’ve been watching it ever since, and he’s continued to make plays and play the game the right way. He’s a guy that paid his dues, and it’s paying off for him.”

The Raiders’ defense has stolen the show in the organized team activity sessions open to media over the last couple weeks. Contact is not yet permitted and schemes are only in the process of being implemented, but it’s been impossible not to notice the defense’s speed, energy and disruptiveness.   

Most eyes have been fixated on the defensive line led by the new superstar tandem of Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, but Spillane continues to look like a destructive force in his own right directly behind them.  

The 27-year-old had a breakout season a year ago in his first campaign as a full-time starter by racking up a team-leading 1,133 total snaps, 148 tackles and three interceptions.

And now, if anything, Spillane appears more physically imposing and is moving more fluidly.  

“The moment you look worse than you did the previous season is the fastest way to get out of the league,” Spillane said earlier this offseason. “So, I’m looking forward to showing my improvements this coming season.”

The Raiders could really use a franchise linchpin in the linebacking corps, something the franchise has lacked for nearly two decades. They hadn’t sent an inside linebacker to the Pro Bowl for 15 years before Denzel Perryman broke through with a career year as part of the 2021-2022 playoff team.   

The hope was that Perryman could fill the void long-term, but despite being named a captain the next year, he struggled with injuries and proved an odd culture fit with coach Josh McDaniels. Las Vegas let Perryman walk in free agency and signed Spillane away from the Steelers as his replacement.  

It turned out to be one of the best moves of previous general manager Dave Ziegler’s short-lived tenure as Spillane starred on last year’s Raiders and helped seal a pair of primetime wins at Allegiant Stadium.

But it’s not uncommon for a linebacker, especially an undrafted one like Spillane, to have one great season and fade back into being more of a bit player.

Spillane realizes as much, but is determined not to fall victim to that fate.

“I would say the chip on my shoulder has grown to a crack on my shoulder at this point in my career,” Spillane said. “You get some recognition, you get some praise, but at the same time, you know that there's so much more out there for you to go take.”

The Raiders’ entire roster is required to be in town for the first time from June 11-13 as part of mandatory minicamp, but Spillane has already been a staple at the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters ever since last season ended.

He’s one of the leaders, along with Crosby, of a contingent of players who prioritized staying nearby to maximize their preparation for next season.

“It’s always good to be around each other,” Spillane said. “I think it brings a level of inspiration.  Guys were asking me, ‘What do you get out of these offseason workouts?’ I said, ‘I get inspired by young guys. I love getting chased.’ You know those next guys behind me want my job as bad as I want my job. So, it’s ‘how can I keep my job with this team?’”

Spillane is entering the final year of his contract with the Raiders, but that hasn’t stopped him from planting roots in Las Vegas.

He purchased a home in the area. He and his wife are expecting their first child, a daughter, this month.

He’s given every indication he now wants to stay in silver and black for as long as he once hoped he’d remain in the Steelers’ black and gold. On a recent episode of his podcast, The Rush, Crosby reminisced on how he made a recruiting call to Spillane to come to Las Vegas last offseason but came away discouraged.  

Crosby said he ended the call with a sense that Spillane was, “going back to Pittsburgh.”  But the Steelers ultimately didn’t match the Raiders’ offer, and Crosby couldn’t be more grateful.  

“Best linebacker I’ve ever played with,” Crosby said of Spillane on the podcast. “There’s not even a question.”

Spillane was a guest on the episode, and Crosby naturally at one point steered the conversation towards the Henry hit.

Spillane grinned as he recounted the moment for what must have been the umpteenth time since it happened on October 25, 2020.

“That is by far the biggest hit of my career,” Spillane said on the podcast. “I still feel it to this day. I swear half my body went somewhere else. It disappeared. I was not prepared for it.”

He’s much more prepared for delivering in crucial moments going into his seventh NFL season. Spillane may always be known for rebuffing Henry, but in reality, he made a handful of even more impactful plays with the Raiders last year.

And the biggest moments, Spillane hopes, are those that are still ahead of him this season.

“I think us, as a whole defense, we're at an all-time high in terms of excitement level,” Spillane said. “Just speaking to the guys in that in that room, there's so much belief in themselves and each other that we should go out there and be a dominant defense.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or