The Steelers are now in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College for the 2023 installment of training camp. They are coming off of a 9-8 season during which they broke in their new quarterback, Kenny Pickett, finishing the year strong by winning seven of their last nine but coming up short of the postseason.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year.
From the first day of training camp to the last, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered, including several battles for starting roles. Which veterans might be vulnerable to release? Who are the sleepers who will emerge in camp and make a run at a roster spot? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Where does Mark Robinson fit in the crowded inside linebacker room/rotation?
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that we were talking about Mark Robinson as a future starter. And perhaps he still might be. The truth is there are two reasons why the conversation has shifted, neither of which has anything to do with what he has done on the field directly.
The first was a comment back in the spring from defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who basically said that the second-year linebacker still has a lot to learn and they were more focused on trying to get him up to speed for a run at a starting job in 2024 rather than this year.
The second and more significant was the team adding Kwon Alexander to the linebacker room during training camp. Alexander has arguably been the most impressive, certainly the most active, member of that room since he first stepped onto the field. He should vie for a starting job sooner or later.
With Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts already up front, that potentially leaves Robinson sitting squarely behind three other players at this position, which makes it rather hard to get on the field. Just think about the last time you saw a fourth inside linebacker get a lot of playing time outside of injury concerns.
For my money, I believe Robinson had a solid preseason opener last Friday, including a very nice chase-down tackle to the sideline. The play did show the part of his game that the coaches are worried about, though, which is above the neck. He took a false step initially and had to use his speed to catch up as the play bounced laterally.
He still made the play, but had it gone another way, one wonders if the back might not have broken the run instead, or at least gotten past Robinson. While he remains a player on the rise and one who has shown he has some talent and plenty of want-do, there’s still the matter of what he can do and when he would be asked to do it. Yet all of this speaks to the quality of depth at the position, a nice change of pace.
