In order to “bounce back”, you have to be coming back from a down stretch after performing at a high level for some time.
Former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry recently published a piece highlighting 10 offensive bounce-back candidates out to prove they still belong in the league. Corry’s choices are all veteran players who have enjoyed some success in the NFL but are coming off down seasons. Corry included a Pittsburgh Steeler in his list of candidates, suggesting that WR Allen Robinson II is at a crossroads to get his career back on track.
“The Rams were so motivated to get rid of Robinson that $3.4 million of 2023 salary cap space was lost in his April trade to Steelers, which was a swap of 2023 seventh-round picks,” Corry wrote. “Robinson reworked his contract in connection with the trade. He’s scheduled to make $10 million in 2024 instead of $15.75 million. If the 2023 season is a continuation of Robinson’s last couple of years, the Steelers won’t hesitate to release him next offseason because the $10 million isn’t guaranteed.”
Robinson was one of the better wide receivers in football from his second season in the league in 2015 to 2020, making one Pro Bowl appearance as he posted three 1,000-yard seasons with the Jaguars and Bears. The last two seasons haven’t been as kind to Robinson as had 33 receptions for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games in 2022 before going down with a season-ending injury. The previous season wasn’t much better for Robinson as he played in 11 games with 12 starts, catching 38 passes for 410 yards and one touchdown on the season with Chicago.
Having dealt with a slew of injuries since entering the NFL, Robinson appears to be on the downward trend as he turns 30 this season. Still, Robinson proved he can still get the job done when on the field last in Los Angeles, showing shiftiness for a big-bodied receiver as a route runner while also having the size and body control to be a red zone threat.
The Steelers needed a veteran presence in the wide receiver corps and needed a capable slot receiver after getting minimal production there a season ago. Robinson fills both of those roles and was acquired at quite the value, as Corry mentioned above, swapping seventh-round picks and having the Rams eat a good portion of his salary. Robinson may never reach the heights he was at during the prime of his career, but if he can stay on the field and contribute as Pittsburgh’s primary slot receiver, Robinson should be able to have a bounce-back season relative to expectations in 2023.
