Allen Robinson's Biggest Help for Kenny Pickett, Steelers
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Allen Robinson has been someone that the Pittsburgh Steelers have coveted since he was just a prospect from Penn State. After an injury-derailing, down season with the L.A. Rams, he found himself on the trade market with the team staring down the barrel of a rebuild.
Pittsburgh was finally able to acquire Robinson and for the relatively cheap price of a future day three pick swap and a reworked and reduced contract.
Robinson, who turns 30 years old in 2023, still showed flashes in his brief time with the Rams even if the overall numbers were certainly disappointing. While his days of being an alpha, number-one wide receiver type are certainly all but over. It's imperative to understand that the Steelers aren't asking Robinson to come into the facility and be THE guy. They're simply adding him to the mix as a complimentary piece to the other young pieces that they've been developing over the past several years.
Even though he's lost a half step, Robinson is still flushed with skills and experience that make this low-risk move an exciting one. There are two areas in particular where he'll immediately provide a boost to the Steelers' offense, specifically to their young quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Low Red Zone
Even despite playing in just ten games last season, Robinson was still able to haul in three receiving touchdowns, all of which came inside the ten-yard line. Only ten receivers registered more, and while those numbers are solid, they don't exactly jump off the page either. However, if you actually watch the film, it's easy to argue that Robinson could have easily had twice that many if it weren't for better quarterback play and chemistry between him and Matthew Stafford.
What makes Robinson such a weapon down near the goal line is his ability to win quickly off the line of scrimmage against press coverage. In the low red zone area, space is condensed, and Robinson's robust release package accompanied by his quick footwork really shines through. There are many reps of him leaving cornerbacks in the dust, where he's able to create a lot of separation on fade routes and quick hitters in the end zone for easy scores.
In the new age NFL, fade routes are generally thought of as low-percentage plays that aren't worth the risk. Except when you have a guy like Robinson, who can win quickly off the line while also being able to highpoint the ball in contested catch situations, something he's excelled at over the years, those opportunities are worth pursuing. Any time Robinson is singled up in the red zone, he's a walking mismatch regardless of what cornerback lines up across from him.
For Kenny Pickett who only threw three touchdowns inside the ten-yard line throughout his rookie season, Robinson's arrival hits the spot. The offense as a whole struggled once they got inside the 20, scoring touchdowns on less than 52% of their drives which was 23rd best in the NFL according to Pro Football Reference. Robinson isn't going to be relied upon as a #1 wideout any longer but in these situations, expect him to be a focal point of the offense.
Zone Coverage
Robinson is closing in on 7,000 career regular season receiving yards to go along with 44 touchdowns so he's been effective versus man, zone, and press coverage throughout his career. He's never been a speedster but has made do with technical refinement, body control and savvy. Even though he wasn't targeted at a high rate with the Rams last season, Robinson stood out on film in another particular area: making himself available against zone coverage.
Even when the targets weren't there, Robinson has a good understanding of leverage, coverage identification, and how to find the open void in the defense. Even better, Robinson has inside/outside versatility and has shown the ability to manipulate and read multiple defenders throughout his route stem. That is one of if not the biggest learning curves when playing in the slot as you must be aware of where defenders are dropping to and working to get to your landmark without disrupting the timing between receiver and quarterback.
Robinson is very quarterback friendly, he doesn't drop passes, and he's always going to be exactly where he needs to be. That reliability factor and football IQ is a big part of why he'll be able to carve out a nice niche for himself within the Steelers offense. When you provide this type of veteran presence to your young quarterback entering his second professional season, the potential rewards are worth getting excited over.
Pittsburgh already has Diontae Johnson, one of the league's best separators, and George Pickens, who won just about every contested catch opportunity that came his way last season. What they were missing is that veteran presence who understands how to move the sticks to keep drives alive, and Robinson should still be able to do that at a high level whenever his number is called.
With just a $3.08 million cap hit for 2022, Robinson has the chance to rebound and become one of the better value plays on this Steelers team. He's more than likely going to play fourth fiddle to Johnson, Pickens and Freiermuth but how many teams around the league have someone as uniquely talented as Robinson? The answer is not many.
New Steelers general manager Omar Khan has made a slew of interesting moves in his first offseason in charge. The trade for Robinson could be one of his best. If it helps Kenny Pickett take the second-year leap that Mike Tomlin just so loves to reference frequently, he'll be worth his weight in gold.
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