The Las Vegas Raiders entered their home venue of Allegiant Stadium with just one team interception in 2023.
An undrafted journeyman linebacker added two more against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football, leaving NFL fans who watched the game wondering more about Robert Spillane.
Surprise Raiders MNF Star Robert Spillane Has Had Journeyman NFL Career
Before his two-interception night, Spillane had this stat line underneath the category of interceptions: One.
And his last pick came against the Baltimore Ravens on November 11, 2020, during a time he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Steel City was one of three NFL stops for the 6’1″, 229-pound linebacker out of Western Michigan. And again, he came to the NFL without hearing his name called during the three days of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Spillane began with the Tennessee Titans by signing as an undrafted free agent on May 14, 2018. He managed to impress the Titans early by establishing himself as a preseason standout. However, he was cut by the team before being lured back to Tennessee’s practice squad.
He managed to see action in two regular-season games as an active roster elevation. But he was eventually waived by the Titans on October 19, 2018, as the team opted to make room for fullback Jalston Fowler.
He made his way to the Steelers on February 8, 2019. After being waived and then signed back to the practice squad before the season, Spillane ended up seeing action in eight regular-season games. He ended the year with 11 tackles and eight solo stops.
Spillane, though, ended up lasting in Pittsburgh for the next three seasons. In 2020, he ended up starting in seven regular-season contests and responded with 45 tackles, 39 solo stops, four tackles for a loss, a fumble recovery, and the pick.
For the next two seasons, Spillane would start in a combined nine games. He ended his Steelers career with 191 combined stops, including 128 solo ones and 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Did Spillane Have a Past Background as a Ball Hawk?
Out of high school at Fenwick High in Oak Park, Illinois, Spillane wasn’t even considered a natural linebacker. He was given this distinction — athlete — which indicates a defender who can bounce between defensive back and move to linebacker.
He ultimately settled for linebacker. And as it turns out, he has a ball-hawking past. Spillane ended up picking off four career interceptions for the Broncos, including three during the 2016 season. But he’s best known by WMU fans for snatching the game-deciding interception with under a minute to go with the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title on the line.
On MNF, and with his team staring at a 1-4 start, Spillane backed up and swooped up this Jordan Love throw to set the tone for a stellar defensive night.
The #Raiders are rolling and come up with interception‼️ pic.twitter.com/FQEWcxnIq3
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 10, 2023
But he wasn’t through dipping back to his takeaway side from his days at Kalamazoo, Michigan. His cornerback teammate Marcus Peters executed this tip drill to Spillane.
Robert Spillane comes up with his second interception off Jordan Love 👀 pic.twitter.com/8kOZNYqUi5
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 10, 2023
Spillane went from undrafted to journeyman to the talk of Raider Nation on MNF. And he became the first Raider since Jeff Heath to deliver two picks in a single game. Ironically, Heath’s performance came the same season as Spillane’s last NFL aerial takeaway.