When Pittsburgh Steelers LB Cole Holcomb went down with a season-ending knee injury, it cracked the door open for second-year LB Mark Robinson to start seeing meaningful snaps on defense as the next man up.
Robinson had been buried on the depth chart behind Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander, playing mostly special teams while seeing only four defensive snaps on the season. However, with Holcomb out of the lineup, Robinson figures to see more snaps rotating in for Alexander and Roberts as Pittsburgh’s third inside linebacker.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Robinson said that he wasn’t going to get ahead of himself regarding what exactly his role will be and how much time he may see in Pittsburgh’s defense. Robinson was asked if he feels like he’s come a long way from a pass-coverage standpoint compared to his rookie season. Robinson was close to the vest with his response, staying modest as he avoided making any grandiose statements.
“I will see when that time come,” Robinson said via video from the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “Men and women lie, but you know, I gonna get up under them lights and it’ll play itself out.”
Robinson quoted Yo Gotti and Lil Wayne with his reference of women and men lying in a personal banger, but the statement still rings true. The public may have a certain perception of Robinson as a pass-coverage defender while Robinson will have his own perception of how he plays in coverage. Ultimately, it’s his play under the lights when the bullets are live that truly matters rather than his perception how of far he’s come in that aspect of his game over the last year.
Robinson wasn’t known for his pass coverage coming out of Ole Miss, being considered raw in that facet of the game. A former running back who converted to linebacker, Robinson was still working on his instincts and feel for dropping into zones and running with backs and tight ends in man coverage. He got out of place at times last season when he saw more action down the stretch against run-heavy teams like the Panthers, Raiders, and Ravens.
Still, Robinson showed some development in this area of his game ahead of his second season. He nabbed an interception off QB Kenny Pickett back in OTAs and also picked off QB Mitch Trubisky during training camp, getting good position to wrestle the ball away from TE Connor Heyward. DC Teryl Austin commended Robinson’s work at becoming a well-rounded linebacker this summer and for his improvement and dedication to improving in coverage.
Obviously, getting picks in OTAs and training camp isn’t the same as playing in a regular-season NFL game, but it’s a positive step forward for Robinson. He came out of college extremely raw but was an aggressive hitter who played with the physicality that Pittsburgh’s linebacker corps needed. He now will likely get a chance to be tested in coverage should he see some snaps in the coming weeks, being able to prove that he has improved under the stadium lights.
