The Pittsburgh Steelers traded outside linebacker Arian Robinson to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday in exchange for running back Felix Jones and while we will continue to analyze the Jones side of the deal, it is worth looking at what dealing away Robinson means as well.
The Steelers are fortunate right now that they consider their depth at the linebacker position a positive, and they knew keeping Robinson on the final 53 man roster would be hard to do as a result. Had Robinson still had practice squad eligibly remaining, perhaps they wouldn\’t have dealt him at all, but being as the Temple product played in 12 games last season, releasing him would have meant he was gone for good with nothing to show for him.
So with Robinson now out of the picture, Chris Carter would likely figure to benefit most from his absence, but let\’s not forget about undrafted free agent Alan Baxter as well. Should Baxter wind up making Carter expendable, the Steelers could use his practice squad eligibility to their advantage over the course of the next several weeks in the event they need an extra roster spot.
Keep in mind that Jason Worilds is in the final year of his contract right now and there is no guarantee he will be back in 2014. Carter has yet to show anything, so the Steelers need to keep the pipeline full of young outside linebacker prospects with Robinson now gone. At worst, you would have to figure Baxter is now a lock for the practice squad. At best, he knocks Carter off the roster.
