On Friday’s episode of The Terrible Podcast, Pittsburgh Steelers ILB Mark Robinson was mentioned as a player to watch closely in training camp.
Robinson inspired a lot of confidence among numerous Steelers fans, including our own Alex Kozora, who called for the Steelers to let Robinson “cook” in 2023. The second-year linebacker out of Ole Miss is no longer a rookie and needs experience on the field to grow and develop. He showcased that aggressiveness and physicality Pittsburgh has been missing from its linebackers the last few seasons. Seeing some run late in the season against run-heavy offenses, he played with the urgency and eagerness you want in your off-ball linebacker.
Still, the coaching staff hasn’t exactly shown great confidence in Robinson making that leap as a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft as who only played one college season in at linebacker. DC Teryl Austin mentioned during OTAs that he is hopeful for Robinson to potentially compete for a starting job “next season,” meaning in 2024. Austin called Robinson a work in progress with a way to go before being ready to assume that role. LB Coach Aaron Curry mentioned that Robinson is “right on course” for where he needs to be as a player going into his second season, but the jump from the 44 total defensive snaps Robinson saw last season has yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, the Steelers completely overhauled the ILB room from a year ago with Robinson being the only incumbent left standing. They signed LB Cole Holcomb to a three-year deal and LB Elandon Roberts to a two-year deal, making them Pittsburgh’s projected starting ILBs for 2023. They also signed LB Tanner Muse, who is a core special teamer who also saw 80 defensive snaps in 2022 with the Seattle Seahawks. Pittsburgh also recently signed LB Nick Kwiatkoski, who has played in 89 games with 34 starts over his seven-year NFL career, being a similar mold of player to former Steelers ILB Robert Spillane as a reliable rotational linebacker and capable special teamer.
Given Austin’s comments, Robinson is behind Holcomb and Roberts on the depth chart prior to the start of training camp and may lose ground to either Muse or Kwiatkoski as the preseason rolls on. Signing a player like Muse made sense for Pittsburgh as it needed more special teams help, but the addition of Kwiatkoski to the room presents a legit threat to Robinson as the team’s primary backup ILB behind the starters given his experience and steady play.
Robinson is the younger player with more upside that Kwiatkoski, but he also is still raw as an NFL defender, having moments last season where you saw his instincts and coverage abilities fail him on limited snaps. Sure, he needs more experience to learn and grow, but does that come at the expense of not playing the more game-ready player on the depth chart?
I personally think that Robinson should get a little more run than he got last season. That way Pittsburgh can know if they have some with him or if he’s just another guy. However, if Kwiatkoski usurps him on the depth chart and Muse can become a factor on defense, we perhaps could see yet another “redshirt” year for Robinson in 2023, putting his long-term status in Pittsburgh up in the air for 2023 and beyond.
