How Will Steelers Fill ILB Without Williams or Spillane?

PITTSBURGH -- Without Robert Spillane or Vince Williams this Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a tight spot at inside linebacker.

Thursday afternoon, the Steelers added Williams to the Reserve/COVID-19 list as a "high risk" close contact to someone who tested positive for the virus. Under the NFL's protocols, this leaves Williams away from the team for a minimum of five days, including Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

As of now, there's little hope Spillane returns in time for Buffalo. His knee injury suffered against the Washington Football Team should leave him out multiple weeks.

The Steelers are now left with Avery Williamson and Marcus Allen at inside linebacker during Week 14.

Ulysees Gilbert III did return to practice for the Steelers this week after spending three weeks on Injured Reserve with a back issue. He hasn't been activated as of Friday morning, and despite there being a chance he plays Sunday, it's a small hope for someone who's only been active for two weeks this season.

So, what are the Steelers' options?

Williamson will be the primary inside linebacker this weekend. He has experience starting and is a proven run stopper in the middle. His 120 tackles for the New York Jets last season leaves room to believe he's capable of filling a starting role.

"It seems someone was really timely making that trade," defensive coordinator Keith Butler laughed, referencing Williamson. "You never know how injuries are going to affect you or what's going on with COVID. Those situations this year have been a little tougher for us. We have to be, as Mike [Tomlin] says, light on our feet and be able to adjust and make adjustments and stuff like that. That's the biggest thing for us. We have to be light on our feet and try to plan for things and make sure that you have guys that can help you win. That's what we are going to try to do."

Butler believes Williamson has picked up the defense enough to fill a starting role. Although he was referencing the change when he believed Williams was still available, he had confidence in the newly required linebacker.

"Avery [Williamson] hadn't been with us for training camp and stuff like that, but he's gotten a pretty good grasp of the defense," Butler said. "He will have an idea of what he should be doing out there."

Marcus Allen hasn't played much traditional linebacker since making the transition from safety this summer. For the most part, he's provided a third-down option, playing protection in pass coverage.

Now, he'll be mixing it up with Williamson on the inside a lot more.

Expect to see plenty of nickel packages with this defense. Without Joe Haden, Cam Sutton and Justin Layne will fill the outside, but without Williams at linebacker, Layne is the best bet at corner.

Sutton's versatility allows him to fill in on the inside in larger packages. He can step into the box in nickel and dime and work alongside Williamson or Allen as another option at linebacker.

Terrell Edmunds moving down and Sutton stepping back into safety is also another option that the Steelers will likely use. Edmunds has comfortability inside the box after playing that role in college.

Is it all perfect? No. And it leaves a lot of room for error against a thriving Bills offense.

Still, moving pieces allows the Steelers to adjust with their best options on the field. As COVID-19 and injuries start to pile up, they need to stay light on their feet, as Mike Tomlin has said all season.

This is their biggest test to adjusting on the run. And they'll get creative to try and fill the void left without two inside linebackers - and a cornerback.

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.