The Pittsburgh Steelers did not go into the trade with the Los Angeles Rams to acquire wide receiver Allen Robinson II with the expectation that they would be getting the exact same player who was at his height, either in his standout season in 2015 with the Jacksonville Jaguars or during his time with the Chicago Bears. Even if they do have his Chicago quarterback on the roster, they know Robinson is in another stage of his career.
Still, that quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, still believes his former standout weapon has that in him and can rediscover that form in Pittsburgh, playing with a quarterback the caliber of Kenny Pickett, as compared to most other quarterbacks he has suffered through in his career.
“Absolutely”, Trubisky told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when asked if Robinson could still be that same player. “You see him getting a little better, a little healthier each day. His route running ability, his football IQ; he knows how to separate from guys. His physicality at catch-point is really good. He can have a guy on him and if you throw it in the right spot he can still come down with it”.
Healthier, of course, because his 2022 season ended with a foot injury. It’s one of the reasons they only had to swap seventh-round draft picks in order to acquire him this offseason, though the Rams were desperate to unload his contract anyway. Desperate enough to even retain some of it.
It’s worth acknowledging that Robinson has missed 12 games over the past two seasons, for one thing, limited to just 71 catches during that time for 749 yards and four touchdowns. But he is also only two years removed from bettering those numbers in consecutive single seasons.
Playing primarily with Trubisky under center while in Chicago, he caught 98 passes in 2019 for 1147 yards and seven touchdowns. He followed that up by catching 102 passes the next year for 1250 yards and another six touchdowns.
With Diontae Johnson and George Pickens on the roster, to name only the wide receivers, he isn’t going to see the sort of target share that could generate such numbers, functioning as the number three receiver and likely working primarily out of the slot.
But it’s not about the numbers he puts up, it’s about what he does when his number is called, regardless of how often. If he can be something close to that guy who excelled with the Bears whenever the ball comes his way, then…well, maybe the ball would start coming his way more often. Egos be damned, those who move the chains get the opportunities.
And let’s face it, after having to work with Blake Bortles, Nick Foles, Justin Fields, Chase Daniel, and an injured Matthew Stafford for most of his career, it’s at least fair to wonder if better quarterback play might not just be key in relocating his playmaking ability.
