Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: S Kenny Robinson
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The third-year safety has been getting noticed in recent days and, partially due to injuries, working his way up the depth chart, seeing some first-team work on Thursday as he makes his bid for the 53-man roster.
Make no mistake, S Kenny Robinson isn’t going to be running on the first-team defense in a meaningful game any time soon, not on a healthy roster. The Steelers have a lot of options in the secondary, including at safety, so it would take a while under normal circumstances before they get to him.
But he’s at least putting up a fight to make the team. A 6-2, 202-pound Wilkinsburg native, he was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round in 2020, with whom he played in 19 games over the following two seasons. Last year was time served on the practice squad, however, and he signed a Reserve/Future contract with Pittsburgh after the 2022 season.
He’s battling to make the 53-man roster now in a crowded room, with his chief competition figuring to be fellow third-year veteran Tre Norwood, who admittedly is also having a good camp and will probably get featured here in the near future. But with Damontae Kazee down, Minkah Fitzpatrick excused from practice, and Keanu Neal ailing, it was Robinson who was the first one called up for first-team work. Even though Norwood has multiple starts in the Steelers’ system.
The 24-year-old has made some plays as well, getting his hands on a couple of passes, and he’s certainly willing to throw his weight around. Reportedly, he also likes to throw his mouth around as well. He was even flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct yesterday during a drill after taunting WR Ja’Marcus Bradley, having just broken up a pass intended for him in Seven Shots.
The thing is, with Fitzpatrick, Kazee, and Neal already locks, and Mile Killebrew almost undoubtedly having a special teams spot reserved for him, there isn’t a ton of room. Perhaps the season-ending injury for CB Cory Trice Jr. helps him slightly, but the reality is he’ll be wanting to befriend special teams coordinator Danny Smith if he really wants to make the 53-man roster. As it is, he feels like a shoo-in for the practice squad, but that’s not the height of his aim.
