BALTIMORE — Was Sunday night the beginning of a changing of the guard at a high-profile position on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense?
For the first snap of the Steelers’ first defensive series against the Baltimore Ravens, Devin Bush was not at inside linebacker. Neither was Myles Jack.
Rookie Mark Robinson was, starting alongside Robert Spillane.
Spillane had played every defensive snap in each of the Steelers’ prior two games, supplanting Bush and Jack as the No. 1 inside linebacker (in part because of Jack’s ailing hamstring).
But Robinson, a seventh-round pick, was in uniform for only the third time this season. He had played just seven defensive snaps this season (all Dec. 18 at the Carolina Panthers).
Robinson was a small-school running back until about 16 months ago when he was moved to defense for his senior season as a graduate transfer at Ole Miss. He flashed during training-camp practices and preseason games for the Steelers but was a Sunday inactive for 12 of the first 13 games.
Spillane and Bush are scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency after the season. Jack, who is in his first season with the Steelers, is a candidate to be released this spring because his contract calls for an $8 million salary and $11.25 million salary-cap hit in 2023.
Bush started the season’s first 14 games and had started 48 of the first 49 games of his career since he was drafted No. 10 overall in 2019. But he played only 40% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps during last week’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Three years after investing two first-round picks, a second-rounder and third-rounder to trade up to select Bush, the Steelers this past spring declined Bush’s fifth-year option for 2023.
Bush did not play a defensive snap during either of the Steelers’ first two defensive series of Sunday’s game, but he was on the field at times during the Ravens’ touchdown drive just before halftime.
Jack suffered a groin injury and was out of the game by the early portion of the third quarter.
Wren’s Steelers debut
Renell Wren was in uniform for the Steelers for the first time. A defensive lineman, Wren was signed to the practice squad the week before the season began. He spent all but six days since on the practice squad since and was a call-up for Sunday’s game.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Wren was a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019, appearing in 11 games for them that year and making one other appearance (in 2021) before Sunday.
Wren got into the game during the first half against the Ravens.
Early line
BetOnline released their NFL Week 18 lines early Sunday evening. The Steelers were installed as 2½-point favorites for their home game against the Cleveland Browns that will end their regular season next weekend.
The Browns defeated the Washington Commanders, 24-10, on Sunday to improve to 7-9. They beat the Steelers, 29-17, in the teams’ first 2022 meeting Sept. 22 in Cleveland.
Cleveland has not swept a season series against the Steelers since 1988. The Browns have not finished with the same or better record than the Steelers in a season since 1989.
Quick hits
CB James Pierre left the game during the first quarter to be evaluated for a head injury, and he did not return. … When Chris Boswell kicked a 21-yard field goal 8 minutes into Sunday’s game, it marked the fourth time over their past six games that the Steelers scored on their opening drive. … But Boswell missed a 48-yarder in the second quarter that continued a trend where he missed four of eight and six of 14 field-goal attempts.
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