Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 season is over, the team finishing above .500 but failing to make the postseason, we turn our attention to the offseason and everything that means. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on broader contexts, reflecting on a player’s development, either positively or negatively, over the course of the season. Other evaluations will reflect only one immediate event or trend. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: WR Allen Robinson II
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The veteran wide receiver has continued to get stronger and stronger as he returns not just to 100 percent on the health front but also the football front. He has been seen multiple times getting in extra work with quarterback Kenny Pickett since the team broke before training camp as well.
The Steelers gave up very little to acquire veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson II. It remains to be seen how much value they ultimately extract from that deal, but everything since the move was made has been trending in the right direction.
Though set to turn 30 next month, the Steelers believe there’s still a lot of life left in Robinson, who faced less than ideal circumstances the past couple of seasons due to injuries and the quarterback situations he dealt with.
They don’t expect him to come in and take on a starring role, though they would welcome it if he can manage it. All they want him to do is be a strong slot presence between Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and bringing his veteran leadership along with him is just a big bonus.
Having suffered a season-ending foot injury last year, Robinson’s football activity during OTAs ramped up slowly, but he was participating in team drills on a full-time basis by week two, so he’s been unlimited for several weeks now.
He’s talked about the next step being getting to 100 percent football-wise, not just health-wise. Part of that process evidently includes getting in extra work with his quarterback Kenny Pickett, with whom he has been seen catching passes multiple times since minicamp ended.
While he’ll be expected to be a valued on-field contributor, however, his off-field value is not to be overlooked. A number of players have already talked about his influence, particularly second-year man Pickens, who said that the two are “always talking ball”.
Indeed, one might be inclined to make the argument that a significant influence on Pickens’ improvement alone might have made the trade for Robinson worth it, even if were to do nothing on the field. Not that we should diminish the role of the actual coaching staff, and of course of Pickens himself, in his own budding development. But having a veteran in his ear doesn’t seem to be hurting any.
