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90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Elandon Roberts, Allen Robinson II, Kenny Robinson

By Dave Bryan

Posted on July 19, 2023 at 8:15 am

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 offseason practices concluded in the middle of June and next up is their annual training camp, which gets underway in late July at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Ahead of training camp, we will preview the team’s offseason roster three players at a time for you as part of a 30-post series. This Steelers roster preview, which includes outlooks for every player, will be done alphabetically by last name to make it easy to follow.

The next three players we will preview ahead of Steelers 2023 training camp are Elandon Roberts, Allen Robinson II, and Kenny Robinson.

ILB Elandon Roberts: The Steelers signed Robert to a two-year, $7 million contract this offseason after he had spent the last three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Houston, Roberts has registered 457 career tackles, 39 for loss, 11 sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception, two fumble recoveries and 10 defensed passes in his seven NFL seasons.

Last season with the Dolphins, Roberts registered a career-high 107 tackles with 10 for loss. He also had 4.5 sacks in 2022 and 10 quarterback hits. He played 680 total defensive snaps last season and 122 others on special teams. He turned 29 in April.

Outlook: Roberts is a better inside linebacker against the run than he is against the pass. Because of that, he’ll likely be just a two-down inside linebacker with the Steelers. He should be able to register a fair share of tackles in 2022 and figures to log around 50 percent of playing time for all defensive snaps.

The Steelers have lacked an above-average tandem at inside linebacker for several seasons now. The hope is that Roberts can quickly become a quality partner to Cole Holcomb, who was also added this past offseason via unrestricted free agency. Roberts is a smart inside linebacker, and he’s even worn the green dot before as well. While Roberts might play some on special teams in 2023, he probably won’t be a core player in that phase of the game.

WR Allen Robinson II: The Steelers acquired Robinson via an April trade with the Los Angeles Rams, and his arrival now gives the team a much-needed veteran presence in the locker room at the wide receiver position. Robinson, who was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Penn State, has registered 528 career receptions for 6,748 yards and 43 touchdowns in nine seasons in the league.

Last season with the Rams, Robinson played in 10 regular-season games and recorded 33 receptions for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 562 offensive snaps. His 2022 season was cut short by a foot injury, however. He has since had surgery to repair that injury and was able to participate some during the Steelers’ offseason program. Robinson arrived in Pittsburgh with plenty of slot experience. He will turn 30 in August.

Outlook: Now that Robinson is with the Steelers, the expectations are that he’ll mostly be used as a slot wide receiver. Assuming he can bounce back from his foot injury last season, Robinson could top the stat line he compiled in 2022. His ceiling, however, is likely right around 50 receptions.

The Steelers should finally get second-year wide receiver Calvin Austin III on the field in 2022. If that’s the case, he will cut into Robinson’s snaps some as he’s also best suited to play in the slot. Robinson has never been a huge YAC (yards after the catch) player so it will be interesting to see if he can make tiny strides in that department now that he’s with the Steelers.

Robinson should also serve as the primary leader in the wide receiver room now that he’s in Pittsburgh, and that will be helpful with two second-year players around him in the form of Austin and George Pickens. How Robinson plays in 2023 will determine if he sees his 2024 contract year. He needs to stay healthy and needs to register at least 40 receptions and four touchdowns to give himself a good chance of sticking around past the 2023 season.

S Kenny Robinson: The Steelers signed Robinson to a Reserve/Future contract back in January. Selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of West Virginia, Robinson hasn’t had a huge amount of game experience the last three seasons as most of his time has been spent on the practice squad.

Robinson has played in 19 regular-season games on his way to registering 18 total tackles. He started once in 2021 with the Panthers and has logged just 188 total defensive snaps to date with 167 more on special teams. He didn’t see any playing time during the 2022 season, however, and the bulk of his game action came during the 2021 season with the Panthers. To date, he’s mostly been used at the free safety position.

Outlook: With Robinson probably best suited to play free safety, his summer path toward a spot on the Steelers’ Week One 53-man roster will be a tough one. Sticking out consistently on special teams this summer would certainly help Robinson’s cause. Even so, it might take an injury or two for him to avoid being cut after the preseason wraps up.

Should Robinson indeed fail to make the initial 53-man roster, he should have a good shot at being asked back to the practice squad. The Steelers have a few veteran safeties so Robinson figures to get quite a bit of playing time during the preseason and especially after halftime. He has some NFL experience albeit limited so he should be a fun player to keep an eye on.

Related Items:2023 Training Camp, Allen Robinson II, Elandon Roberts, Kenny Robinson

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