Sean Spence News

Urlacher has always been a force in the middle. And, his knowledge of the NFC North could have aided the Steelers this season.

May 21, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu participates in organized team activities at the UPMC Sports Complex.

With the Penguins knee-deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs and the Pirates holding one of the top three records in the National League, the Steelers will open their spring practices today trying to forget their worst record since Bill Cowher coached the team.

The Steelers open their first spring practice in shorts Tuesday with one major goal in mind -- to make it through the 10 permitted practices plus a mid-June minicamp healthy.

May 22, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is interviewed by the media as he exits the field after organized team activities at the Steelers training facility.

Before I begin this post, I just want to say that I am really rooting hard for Sean Spence to somehow resume his N.F.L. career.

Coming off an 8-8 season, every Pittsburgh Steelers player should feel at least a little uneasy about his job security heading into 2013.

McFadden performed well enough in camp last year to earn a practice squad spot, which he translated into an active roster spot by season's end.

Now that the NFL draft is in the rear-view mirror, the Pittsburgh Steelers will put their offseason focus on setting the roster.

It's understandable why Tomlin would keep his sights lower on his 2013 draft class.

May 3, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers first round draft pick linebacker Jarvis Jones participates in drills during Steelers rookie mincamp and orientation at the UPMC Sports Complex.

Last week, Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler suggested Sean Spence , the club's 2012 third-round pick, might never play again after suffering a serious knee injury last summer, with Butler saying it would be "miraculous" if Spence were to come back in 2013 or 2014.

If this draft had been based on needs, then the Steelers last weekend ignored one of their neediest positions -- inside linebacker.

As the tension mounted during the interminably long wait to see who the Steelers would select with their second round pick, there was a building excitement over the prospect of getting a highly rated inside linebacker such as Arthur Brown .

This past weekend, the Pittsburgh Steelers did arguably the best job of any team during the 2013 NFL Draft.

Thomas in the fourth round, Illinois cornerback Terry Hawthorne in the fifth round, Florida State inside linebacker Vince Williams in the sixth round and Last year, despite a graying defense, the Steelers chose only three players on the defensive side of the ball and six on offense.

Aug 30, 2012; Pittsburgh , PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Sean Spence is carted off the field after being injured against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of the game at Heinz Field.

A year ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers used a third-round pick on Sean Spence , a speedy and athletic prospect who had a future as a starting inside linebacker.

The Steelers' 2013 draft class will soon discover something that few others have had in their rookie years with them: Opportunity.

April 26, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and president Art Rooney II react as they listen to linebacker Jarvis Jones speak at the UPMC Sports Complex.